Wishing for Normal Again
by Evil-Gwen
Summary: Buffy wakes up from Normal Again S6 and finds herself in the world of The Wish from S3.
1. Prologue

**Wishing for Normal Again**

**TV-14**, I haven't figured out all the content, but it won't be any more graphic than those Buffy & Spike sex scenes in S6.

**Disclaimer:** All belongs to Joss Whedon.

**Spoilers:** The Wish & Normal Again: BtVS, with a few Angel characters through out.

**Summary:** A weird mix of the episodes The Wish from S3 and Normal Again from S6, this is AU. Sorry it's not the Shrimp world, slightly different.

Prologue 

Buffy sat and miserably watched as the demon killed her friends. She wanted so badly to be normal, that she closed her eyes and pressed her index fingers into her ears to block out the screams. "NO, BUFFY! BUFFY! BUFFY!"

FLASH

"Buffy," a calming voice called to her.

Buffy opened a single eye to see hazy images of Hank and Joyce Summers peering down at her. She opened the other and slowly pulled her fingers from her ears.

"Mom?" She whispered as she glanced around wildly, searching for her imaginary friends.

"There's no one here, Buffy." Her father spoke softly.

Tears spilled from her eyes, "Mom, Dad?"

They hugged her.

"It's alright, baby." Joyce hushed. "We're going home."

The doctor coughed quietly. "She'll need to stay another few days, just to be sure."

"They're gone, all gone, can I just go home?" Buffy begged.

"One day, okay?" The doctor tried to bargain.

"One day," Joyce agreed, "we'll be back tomorrow. We'll even bring you clothes."

Buffy nodded her head, she glanced down at her white jump suit. "Colors, blue or purple or pink."

Hank smiled. "We'll bring you a rainbow," he kissed the top of her head. "Now get some rest we will be back tomorrow at 10 am sharp."

Buffy smiled and hugged her parents again. ((Normal, I'm just a normal girl.))

Buffy awoke the next morning to find her mother already waiting for her. Joyce smiled and silently held out a pair of rainbow socks. Buffy leapt forward and hugged her mother. She grasped her rest of her clothes and quickly changed. Hank entered the room once she was changed. Buffy hugged him tightly.

"I can go home now, right?"

Hank smiled. "Yes, you can go home now, I just signed your release papers."

Buffy quickly tied the laces of her sneakers and let her father lead her out of the room. By hospital policy they had to take her out in a wheelchair, she held her mother's hand the whole way.

((This is where I belong. I can get my GED, and actually attend college, I'll find my thing and be good at it. How long was I gone?)) "How long?"

"What, honey?" Joyce asked.

"Was I really gone for 6 years?"

Joyce and Hank shared a worried look.

"Mom?"

"Yes, it has."

"What month is it?"

Hank smiled bitterly, as Joyce replied, "December."

"This is probably the best Christmas gift you ever received, huh?" Buffy asked quietly.

"Yes, you are." Hank replied.

"We want you to take it easy for a while, we know you'll want to take your GED and attend college, but we want you to wait and take your time."

"We don't have time for this!"

"Calm down, we will figure it out."

"She's out, and she probably thinks that we were all part of her crazy mind and we can't go to her she might have a lapse. And the situation in Sunnydale has already begun to bleed into LA, she'll have to see something eventually."

"She will not, we made sure of it."

"How?"

"Her mother talked to Merrick when she was first admitted, they moved out of LA."

"Where?"

"Honey, we almost forgot," Joyce spoke, "we moved, we don't live in LA anymore."

"We don't?"

"No," Hank replied. "It was a bad area and was getting worse so we moved to San Franciso, alright?"

"Sure, I don't really like LA anyway." ((Angel lives in LA, NO, no Angel isn't real!)) Buffy turned her head to look out the window.

"Master, she has left the hospital. They say she made a full recovery."

"And the other?"

"Still in England, sir."

"Then we shall wait, continue production in LA, as long as she does not get involved we will leave her alone. Understood?"

"Yes, master." Several voices chorused in reply.

"Good."


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"We have to leave for Sunnydale right away." The watcher commanded, as he moved toward the suitcase.

"What do you mean leave? We have to protect the Hellmouth."

"We closed it, now we have to protect the one in Sunnydale."

"But..."

He sighed and sat down on the bed. "I understand that you think of Cleveland as home, but we just received a call from a watcher who lives in Sunnydale. He said that the master is planning something and if we want to stop it we have to move now."

She sighed. "Does this have anything to do with Buffy's release?"

"The master may have gotten wind of it."

"How?"

"Do you really believe that the council is the only people with spies everywhere?"

"More like hoped, so we go, I slay, what else?"

"We discover what Mr. Giles knows and help him."

"Mr. Giles? Wasn't he supposed to be her watcher?"

"I believe he was, why?"

"Does he know?"

"Unfortunately he does, when he found out he refused to leave the Hellmouth. He said that someone had to protect it and it might as well be him."

"He's still waiting for her."

"He probably is, or for you."

"So we saddle up?"

"We do."

"Five by five."

Buffy sat curled up on the couch wearing a bright pink sweat suit sipping a hot mug of her mom's chicken soup.

"How's the soup?" Hank asked as he sat next to her with his own mug.

"Heaven."

He smiled, "yeah?"

"Yeah," she took a sip, "dad?"

"Yeah, hon?"

"You and mom are still together, right?"

"Buffy?" He asked concerned.

"In my head, before, you got divorced, I just, I just want to be sure it's not true."

"It's not; your mother and I love each other very much. We love you very much, and no matter what happens we will never ever abandon you."

"Thank you."

He leaned over and kissed her forehead, "I love you."

"Love you, too."

Joyce entered the room with a large box in her arms. She placed in down in front of Buffy and then took a seat next to her daughter. "This is most of your stuff from high school, your clothes probably wouldn't fit you anymore, but they're also in a box in the attic."

"My room is bare." Buffy whispered.

"We didn't know how to decorate it, we can go shopping tomorrow." Joyce opened the box and pulled out something out. "Sixteen Candles?"

Buffy smiled at the sight of her favorite movie, "yes, please."

Hank and Joyce smiled as Joyce popped the tape in and turned the TV on.

The club the Bronze once housed dancing groping teenagers is now a den for sadistic malicious killers. Downstairs where kegs and cases of beer and soda once was stacked, lays a male chained to a wall behind a wall of bars. He came here in hopes of saving his destined love, but she never arrived. Instead of becoming a savior of the ignorant humans, he failed and is now the pet of these creatures. Everyday he wonders if it would have made any difference if he had remained in New York living in the gutters eating rats. He shivers in voluntarily as he catches the scent of one of he worst tormentors. He boots hit the floor with a distinct thud as she walks toward him. He can smell her glee and excitement. Metal rattles as she unlocks the cage door. His back is toward her as he is huddled in the far corner. She places the keys out side the cage close enough that she can reach, but far enough that he cannot if he were to try to over power her, though not likely.

"Hello, Puppy." She purrs.

He shivers again, knowing the pain that is about to come and how it will not stop until she is called away by either her lover or master. Although that is when he catches the second scent and wonders how he could have possibly missed it.

"Remember what he did, when we told him about his crazy slayer." Her lover laughed.

"He cried," she replied as she grabbed the captive and pulled him to the center of the cage.

He moaned as several unhealed bruises were disturbed.

"Aww, Puppy, I haven't even started yet and already you're moaning?" She laughed mocking him. She rolled him onto his back and straddled his still bruised hips. Her green eyes glittered as she took in all the burn, black & blue, and bite marks. Her lover knelt next to them and grinned.

"Guess what, soul boy, Crazy the Slayer was just released from the Institute." He spoke as he pressed a finger into one the numerous burns.

The captive screamed.

"And guess what, Puppy, if we're good, master might let us kill her." She spoke as she struck a match against the cement floor.

His eyes widened at the sight of the match. "She'll kill you."

"Will she, she killed Lothos and then was sent to the nut house. We'll drink her dry in a second."

She licked her lips and lowered the match, "bored now."

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Aww, I think Puppy's gone away." The vampiress sighed looking down at her unconscious victim.

"Give him a day, Will, he'll be back."

She smiled, but then frowned seeing someone else in the room with them. "What do you want?"

"To see my old sire of course," he spoke looking down into the cage.

"Don't you have an elsewhere to be, oh, I don't know, committing serial murders."

"Nope, I got bored with it, especially when the master called me in."

"Why?" She asked.

"He wants all of Angelus' children here, something about making the line complete." Penn smiled. "Don't worry, you're still master's favorite, he just wants to know how many this moron made." The two vampires glared at him, but he just laughed. "Shame you never got to meet the real Angelus." He spoke wishfully. "He would have loved you, Xan, you're so much like him; no wonder soul-boy hates you."

The vampires were speechless as Penn walked away. "You think I'm trouble, just wait til Spike and Drusilla get here, then the real party can start."

Willow and Xander glanced at each other.

They had to drive all the way to California from Ohio, being inside all day and night made Faith's slayer sense go nuts. She needed to fight something, because both sleeping and driving were barely energy wasting acts. As they neared the South Dakota border, Faith saw a small gas station. As she pulled off the road toward it, she caught sight of a pack of vampires attacking a family in a minivan. She quickly pulled over, checked the weapons she constantly kept strapped to her forearms, grabbed an axe, locked the van and hopped out. She slammed the door hoping to gain some attention. As she walked toward them, the vampires caught her scent.

"Why don't you ditch the happy campers and get some real action?" She yelled out.

They smiled and turned away from the van. She walked toward them and could see that the driver of the van was dead, while his family watched her in horror. She let them circle her, anything to distract them from the family. She turned as the leader approached her. She held out her right arm and shot a wooden dart into his heart. Before his pack's eyes he exploded into a shower of dust. She smirked. They stood stunned as she spun and shot four more leaving three more to fight. The remaining three growled as they rushed her. She smiled and punch the first square in the face, so hard it snapped his neck. The two left froze.

"Slayer," one hissed.

"Dust," she replied as she whipped out the axe and slashed both their heads off.

She ran over to the family, reached in the broken window and checked the man's pulse. She carefully opened the door and caught his body. She laid him on the ground as his family watched in shock as Faith gave him CPR. He gasped. She smiled up at his wife, "take him to the nearest hospital, tell them he was bit by a wild dog, they'll take of him." She picked him up and carried him to the passenger side. His wife moved into the driver's seat as Faith placed the man in the passenger's seat. She glanced back at his kids in the back there were four kids: three young girls and the oldest was a boy about 12. Faith reached into her waistband and pulled out a wooden cross. She strapped the man in and then handed the cross to the boy. "This ever happens again." She told him in a calming voice. "Put this in the bad man's face, it'll hurt him and protect your family, okay?"

The boy nodded and accepted the cross. Faith jumped out of the van closed the door and watched as the van sped out away. She looked up to see her watcher watching her.

"You did good, Faith."

"I always do." She spoke as he joined her.

"Melinda would be proud."

Faith smiled, "thank you, Wes."

Buffy awoke from a nightmare about a woman with long brown hair fighting a group of men. ((Faith isn't real, she was in my head.))

"Buffy, did you have a nightmare, are you alright?" Hank asked.

"It was just ((my crazy mind playing with me)) just flashes of stuff."

"From before, in your head?" He asked as he cupped her cheek.

"Yeah," she started to cry. "I want to be well, dad, I don't want to go back."

"We'll just take it easy, okay? I won't call this time, but if it happens again, we'll have to call Dr. Anglemann."

She frowned nodding her head. "I don't wanna go back."

"I don't want you to, but we want you well." He took her hand, "come on I'll make you some warm milk, it'll help you sleep."

Buffy smiled. ((I'm not crazy, I'm not. Faith isn't real. She's a delusion.))

Faith was bored; they had driven for too long. That fight she had at the gas station was the only action she ever got on the whole trip.

"Faith!" She looked up at Wesley as he point over the steering wheel.

Welcome To Sunnydale

"Finally, where is this guy, sunset is in an hour." As she spoke she looked out the window and was shocked to find everything either boarded up or burnt to the ground. The main street was empty, she could smell the blood on the ground.

"You can smell it, can't you?"

"Why can you?" She asked alarmed. If Wesley a human could smell the blood, then this town really was dead.

"No, but I can see in your face that you do."

"God, why? This town..." She was at a loss.

Wesley turned down and continued; Faith sat in horror she began to count the cemeteries.

The van stopped, "there," Wesley pointed to the apartment they were parked in front of. They grabbed their bags and got out. Wesley knocked, when he got to the apartment. Faith could hear movement and whispering inside.

"Who's there?"

"The slayer!" Faith yelled.

"Bollocks!" A British voice yelled back, "the slayer was institutionalized.

"Buffy was, I'm Faith the Vampire Slayer."

"There can't be two."

"Well, there is." Wesley replied.

For a moment, all was silent and then the door opened. Faith could see figures standing in the shadows, three male two female. "Can we come in?" Even as she asks, she knows how it will be answered.

"No, but that may not stop you."

As she stepped over the threshold, an unsteady hand triggers a crossbow. She catches the bolt inches from her heart. "I told you I'm the slayer."

"Dear lord."

"I-I'm s-sorry," a female voice stammers.

A lamp is turned on as Wesley closes the door behind him. Faith sees the woman who shot the arrow, standing next to a man slightly shorter than her with red spiky hair. Next to him a broad shoulder man probably a football player, next to him another woman with curly dirty-blonde hair. All look battle ready and weary. Then standing to her right is the watcher, Rupert Giles, he looks at her with wonder in his eyes.

"What happened, why are you here?" He asks her.

"Buffy is out of the hospital, and we got word that the Master has a plan for this Hellmouth."

"You closed the other one?" He asked concerned.

"Yeah, sucked a hell god into it, and now I'm after your master vampire." She glanced over at Wesley. "He's been gathering his childe to him, I stopped on in South Dakota, but we have no idea how many he has. The masters under him are Darla, Angelus, Spike, and Drusilla, but we haven't run into any of them. They may already be here."

"How do you know all this?" The football player asked.

"Beat up a couple of vamps headed here." Wesley replied. "After Faith closed the Hellmouth in Cleveland, the vampires fled, we caught and tortured a few. Then the council told us about Buffy's release. All this time the council has been letting out false information about the slayer living in England in hopes of containing the Master here in Sunnydale, but unfortunately he has his own spies."

Rupert looked at Wesley suspiciously. "Who are you?"

"Wesley Wyndom-Price, and as she said this is Faith. And you all are?"

The football player spoke, "Larry, this is Nancy, Oz, and Tara."

"You are the only ones to have survived?" Wesley asked.

Oz shook his head, "the rest live across town, we stay separate in case one group gets killed."

"So the sun is setting, and I desperately need to patrol." Faith spoke.

Faith left the flat alone, reassuring the group that they would be safer not patrolling with her. Rupert told her of the areas to stay clear, unless she wanted an instant death. She walked through the graveyard with a smile on her face, it was her third cemetery and she had dusted over 12 vamps. Although none of them seemed prepared or ready to fight the likes of her so they were easy kills.

"Well, what have we here?" A gruff British accented voice spoke.

Faith spun to see a vamp before her dressed in all black with white bleached hair. She smirked. "William the Bloody, you look a lot better than your portraits. Listen to a lot of Billy Idol?"


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Nah, more of a Sex Pistols fan, that bloke stole his look from me anyhow."

"Sure, he did, what, did you bite him?"

"Tried, but sire wouldn't have it, the stars and all."

"Right, so how 'bout we just fight."

"You sure, I have killed two slayers, you that ready to become number three?"

"No, but you'll be number 100 something."

He laughed. "Well, this is more fun, than trying to find Crazy the Slayer."

"You know where she is?"

"Nah, the master does, wants me to go kill her, cut down the line, ya know?"

Faith pulled out her battle-axe, "go through me first."

"Second, always second," a singsong voice spoke.

Spike looked up and smiled. "Hello, luv, look who I found?"

The woman was dressed in a long black dress that shimmered in the light. Her piercing eyes looked Faith over. "The stars told me all about you. She denies you in her mind, but you're real, as real as her death by my Spike's fangs."

Faith glared at them. "So where is she?"

"Can't tell, can't tell, ruff, naughty slayer, Miss Edith warned me of you. You're dark, darker than most, but you will prevail where she lives in walls so white, she can't escape, til she sees you and the light."

"Poems, very nice, so I'm gonna kill you now."

"Now, now," Spike spoke as he stepped closer toward his sire, "I think I'd rather like to play a bit longer."

Faith watched as the woman cut Spike's cheek with her fingernail and then licked the blood away. "You sure you don't want to join this?" Spike asked.

At first Faith thought that he was talking to her until she heard several growls around her. She looked about to find herself surrounded. The two vampires laughed.

"Beat her, but don't kill her." Spike instructed. "Me an' Dru have plans for her."

Faith glared at Spike who just grinned. The couple backed out of the circle. Faith gripped her axe tight in one hand as she raised her arm. She triggered the wooden darts and watched them pierce the hearts of three vampires before her. As they turned to dust, the rest rushed toward her. She swung her axe beheading one. She flipped over the group and staked another as she landed, but was grabbed from behind. As she was whirled around she sliced another head off. She stopped facing five vampires left, not sparing a second she punched the first as she kicked another. She swung the axe and beheaded two. The three left hissed as they reached for her. One burst into a shower of dust as she used her darts on another. The last one looked at her and then ran. She let him and turned to see a brunette woman on a motorcycle holding a crossbow.

"Giles sent me, get on." She yelled to Faith as she strapped the bow to her back.

Faith got on and the woman steered away. As they rode back toward Mr. Giles' apartment, Faith spoke. "Who are you?"

"Jenny Calender, I'm part two of Rupert's band of White Hats."

"White Hats?"

"It's what the vampires call us."  
"Oh, you take care of kids too?"

"Yes, I train amateur witches that have found themselves here."

* * *

As they arrived at the apartment Faith caught sight of two figures lurking in the shadows. She jumped off the bike and tackled them. She heard hisses and realized immediately what they were. As she reached for her stack she was thrown off. The two stood and glared down at her. Jenny who tried to help shot the crossbow, but the taller of the two caught the arrow inches from his heart.

"Mmm, no one master is concerned." The male laughed.

Faith stood to face them; the male was about her height with dark brown shaggy hair, while the female was shorter with bright red hair.

"She feels of darkness and everything nice." The female added licking her lips.

"Not more rhymes," Faith whined.

"Rhymes?" the female asked as she smiled. "Drusilla," she squeaked and with that the two disappeared.

Faith turned back to Jenny, "is that normal?"

"No, usually they try to kill you."

"You ran into who?" Wesley demanded once Faith had described her night.

"Spike, Drusilla, and some odd vampire couple outside the apartment."

"Willow and Xander," Oz explained. At Faith confused look he continued, "I went to high school with them, well until they were turned sophomore year."

"God, our lives are screwed up."

"Well, you went to school on a Hellmouth too right?" Nancy asked.

"Wesley and my other watcher home-schooled me, and the Cleveland Hellmouth is under a church."

"Scary," Larry commented.

"Wait, two watchers?" Rupert asked.

"Uh, yeah, after the incident with Buffy they decided that I should have two to veto the rights of the parents. So Wesley was made my legal guardian, since my mom wasn't seen fit."

"W-what happ-pened to your o-other watcher?" Tara stuttered.

Faith looked to the ground as Wesley put a hand on her shoulder. "She was killed by Kakitos."

"And I killed him for it," Faith added.

"Kakitos? But he's ancient." Rupert exclaimed.

"The stake still worked, it was just a bit bigger."

"So why don't you have two watchers now?" Nancy asked.

"I do." Faith spoke, "why do you think I'm here?"

All eyes turned to Rupert who stared at Wesley.

"I meant to tell you sooner, but then this happened..." Wesley explained.

Rupert sat down, "I" He was at a loss.

"Get some sleep we'll discuss it in the morning." Faith told him. "Plus we need to decide who's going to San Francisco."

"What?"

"Buffy's in danger."


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Here's what I know." Faith started explaining, the next morning once everyone was up. "The master is definitely planning something. He has called everyone in his line here, which includes Spike and Drusilla. He is then sending Drusilla and Spike to San Francisco to kill Buffy to shorten the slayer line to just me." She handed Rupert a large packet of papers. "This is everything we know about Buffy's delusions. They are based on dreams she has had and then constructed it all into a reality in her head."

Giles looked through it as she spoke. "We're all in it."

"Yeah, that's why I want to send Oz and Tara to San Francisco; they were both in her reality." At the disappointment of Rupert's face, "she won't freak out as much. In her reality, Tara is dead and Oz skipped town."

Tara grabbed the papers from Rupert and skimmed through them. "I'm dead? What the hell?"

Faith raised an eyebrow.

Larry, Nancy, and Oz laughed. "The stutter disappears when she's mad, because she's so rarely mad." Nancy explained.

"Good to know," Faith replied. "So I want you two to go, but Rupert you should go with to protect those two. Just don't make contact with her. Call us everyday at least once and update us."

Wesley handed Giles his keys, "take our van."

Just then Wesley's cell phone rang. "Hello?"

He handed it to Faith.

Faith took the phone and stepped into the hall.

"Who is it?" Rupert asked.

"Faith's sister."

"Sister?"

"We only recently found out about her, but we have a trusted friend taking care of her in Cleveland."

"No, I can't bring you here. Why? Because it's dangerous; put Ben on the phone. Ben, don't tell her, but you may have to bring her here. Yeah, I know what I told her, but it may be important. How is she?"

"Why would Faith's sister need to come here?" Tara asked.

Wesley frowned, "page 55, Buffy imagined the same thing, from a dream she had about Faith."

Wesley watched as Faith re-entered the room as the others read through the transcript.

"Rupert, Tara, Oz, you guys should leave as soon as possible. Meanwhile I'm going to take your van and check out this Bronze."

All eyes darted to her.

"I'm not going in, just gonna check it out from the outside, and maybe toss a cocktail through a window." She stood. "I want you three gone when I get back."

* * *

"The master wants us to go with." Xander told Willow.

"Okay," she smiled as she stepped out of the cage.

"But the puppy has to burn first."

Willow pouted for a minute. "Sorry, Puppy, but the slayer's just more important." She spoke sounding sad as Xander reached down and grabbed the defenseless vampire.

* * *

Faith rounded the corner of the club in time to see the front door swing open and a figure wrapped like a mummy emerged. It was still in the shadows, but was fighting to pull another figure into the sunny light. She tried her best to hear what was going on.

"Sorry the soul didn't work out for you, but if we keep you you'll just find a way to stop us from killing her."

Faith opened the sliding door and drove toward the open door. Just as the figure was pushed into the sunlight she drove by and he leaped inside. Faith slammed the door shut and continued driving.

* * *

Xander and Spike watched dumbfounded as Angel leaped into the White Hats' van.

"Suicide," Xander commented.

"Yeah, especially since that was the slayer." Spike added.

The two vampires laughed at the foolish act of the souled vampire as they closed the door and left to tell the master that the souled vampire was dead.

* * *

"So," Faith spoke as she drove away, "wanna tell me why I shouldn't toss you back out into the daylight?"

He coughed and muttered something.

"Sorry, what?"

"I have ((cough)) a soul."

"So?"

"Other vampires, Spike, the master, Xander, no soul, I have one."

"Why?"

He coughed again, "I was cursed ((cough)) by gypsies."

"You still haven't answered my question, why shouldn't I dust you?"

"Have you ever heard of Angelus?"

"Sure, worst vamp under the master."

"I used to be him."

Wesley opened the door to the words 'I'm inviting you in only to chain you up.'

"Faith?" He asked angrily as he watched her drag a blanket-wrapped figure into the house.

Once the door was closed she pulled the blanket off. "Hey, Wes, I went to their lair and they threw this into my van."

"Is that who I think it is?" Larry asked.

"It is," Nancy agreed.

"Who?" Wesley asked, annoyed that he was out of the loop.

"Back just as the master was rising during the Harvest, he tried to stop it." Larry spoke.

"What do you mean tried?" Wesley asked.

Nancy stepped forward. "He was too late, the vessel was about to feed on another girl, I was next in line and he burst in."

"But it was too late," Larry continued, "that last girl was all the master needed and he was freed." He gestured at the vampire before them. "He interrupted the celebration and we were able to escape."

"So you are good." Faith said to the vampire. "Ya, got a name?"

"Angel."

"Well, Angel," Wesley spoke. "You may have saved them, but we still can't trust you."

"I understand," Angel rasped as he held out his wrists.

"First things," Faith spoke, "you need a bath."

"Buffy?" Buffy looked up from the book she had been reading to see her mother looking down at her. "How would you like to go to the mall tomorrow, we'll get you some new clothes and stuff for your room?"

"Sure, I'd love that." Buffy spoke with a smile. ((Just as long as there aren't any vampires in the mall.)) Once Joyce left the room Buffy laid down and reached under her bed. She pulled out a small journal she had found among her old high school stuff. She opened it and started to write, she wrote down everything that had happened in the past couple of days, leaving the hospital, the little flashes, and the odd feeling she had in the back of her mind telling her that she was far from alright. After she finished she glanced around to be sure her parents hadn't snuck in to watch her, leaned over and stuck the book under her mattress. It wasn't the best hiding place, but it would have to do until she got some actual furniture and things to hide it among.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Faith ran the water as Wesley held Angel up. Once there was enough water she turned to strip him and help Wesley place him in the tub, but as she opened his shirt she stopped.

"Oh, god."

"I ((cough)) think they wanted to dig the soul out, or burn it out." He tried to explain. Then he looked directly into her eyes, "maybe your watcher should wash me up alone."

She nodded her head, "should I send Larry in?"

"No," Wesley replied quietly.

Once they were alone Wesley helped the vampire into the tub after taking the rest of his clothes off. "What made you think the slayer would help you?"

"They told me to come here."

"They?"

"The Powers That Be."

"Yes well they messed up, because the slayer you are looking for isn't here."

"I know," at Wesley's stern look he continued, "The master got a good laugh out of it. That's why he only now wants to kill her."

"Why now?"

"He thinks Faith will try to bring her back."

"She is; she just sent people to help Buffy."

"Who?"

"Her watcher and friends."

"It might not be enough, Drusilla kept singing about The Light."

Wesley froze, "what do you know about it?"

"Nothing."

Wesley stood and opened the door where Faith was standing with her hand out. She had heard everything. He handed her his phone, "bring her here if you have to."

"You know," Angel asked, "what the light is?"

"We know," Wesley said as he kneeled back down again, "but that doesn't mean we are going to tell you."

Angel nodded his head, "trust, I know." He leaned forward so Wesley could wash his back. "Can I ask a question?"

"Depends."

"How are there two slayers?"

"Good question and I'll only answer, because you are never leaving our sight."

"Wouldn't think of it."

"The council, after Buffy was committed, saw that as a liability, there tried to kill her. Thankfully a nurse walked in on the man trying to strangle her, stopped him and resuscitated her. That activated Kendra, stupid strong- headed girl; she thought she was good enough to take out the master."

"He killed her and Faith was called."

"Exactly."

"And where has Faith been all this time?"

"In Cleveland at the other Hellmouth."

Angel nodded his head and then leaned back. He sighed, "I heard she closed it."

"We did."

"How?"

"As Faith likes to put it, we sucked a Hell god into it."

Angel's eyes widened at the thought.

* * *

Faith didn't understand how anyone could have known, she and Wesley had done everything to keep little sis a secret. They even falsified documents for her, so she could go to school. They even had a friend become her guardian so demons and vamps wouldn't connect her to Faith.

"Hey," Faith looked up to see Nancy holding out a cup of tea to her, "here."

Faith took it as she placed the phone on the kitchen counter. "Thanks."

"Hey, I talked to Jenny; she's going to send one of her girls to patrol with you tonight."

"What, no, I..."

Nancy cut her off. "The girl's good, she knows the fireball spell."

Faith cocked an eyebrow.

"We have a system, it's not great, but it's how we've survived this long. It's also why the master himself stopped siring vampires."

"You're that bad of a threat?" Faith sounded shocked.

"We can be, but now you're here, and the last slayer..."

"She was here?"

"She tried to lead us on a suicide mission, but we refuse to follow anyone but Giles or Jenny."

"She went alone?"

Nancy nodded her head. "No, one was willing to follow her into the Bronze, especially after she burned the factory to the ground."

"The factory?"

"They built themselves a machine, mass production, but Kendra burnt it down."

"At least she did something good."

"Yeah, so what are you going to do with him?"  
"Well, chaining him to the bath tub is out since we all need to shower. I don't know tie him to a chair, but those wounds won't heal." She gulped down the hot tea and glanced out the window. The sun was setting and someone was knocking on the door. Larry answered the door. Faith turned to see a woman about a year older than her entering the house.

"So this is her, I mean you, you're the slayer?" She asked sounding amazed.

"Faith," Faith greeted holding out her hand.

"Amy, wow, so, you wanna have some fun." Amy smiled.

Faith took note of Larry and Nancy's looks of worry mixed with amusement. "I assume you are the rebel in the group?"

Larry nodded his head. "There's a reason Amy's helping you."

"Well, let's go." Faith said as she started attaching her dart shooters to her wrists, strapped a crossbow to her back, stakes in her waist band, a dagger in a trigger up her left sleeve, and picked up her favorite battle-axe.

"A little overkill don't you think?" Amy asked.

"She faced Spike and Drusilla last night," Nancy explained.

"Nevermind."

Faith checked on Wesley and Angel. "Take my cell," Wesley ordered.

Followed by a "be careful" from Angel.

* * *

Faith found herself shocked by what the witch could do. One fireball spell obliterated five vamps. After sweeping through four cemeteries the vamps stopped coming after them. Giving Faith time to think and talk to the witch.

"So you're from Cleveland, Jenny said there was a Hellmouth there too."

"Yeah, but we closed it."

"So was it bad there?"

"You guys have a vamp problem. In Cleveland there were vamps, demons and all other kinds of things."

"Oh."

"So how did you get mixed up with these guys?"

"My mom."

"Huh?"

"My mom tried to switch bodies with me to get on the cheerleading squad, but I was in Jenny's class at the time and Mr. Giles was teaching me magic. When I, my mom, started acting weird they caught on and stopped her."

"And you've been a White Hat ever since?"

"Yup, so you were called after Kendra died right?"

"Right, but I had Wesley and my other watcher to keep me in place." There was silence for few minutes. "Where does the name 'White Hats' come from?"

Amy laughed.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Tara, Oz, and Giles drove all day to get to their destination. Faith had everything on Miss Summers including her current residence. The sun was setting as they parked across from the house. Giles nodded to Oz who began to strip and then slowly changed into his wolf form. Tara opened the sliding door and let him out. As she closed it again she turned to Giles.

"Why haven't you told Faith about Oz? Don't you trust her?"

"It's Oz's secret to tell, not ours, but I understand why he hasn't revealed this to them." He handed her the transcript of Buffy's delusions.

"Oz kills someone."

Giles nodded his head.

"But Oz is different."

"He is only different, because right after I was aware of his condition I called in favors and had him trained."

* * *

Oz knew he was different from other werewolves. He knew he could be like how Buffy had imagined him, but he had achieved inner peace. Mostly due to spending an entire summer in Tibet with an associate of Giles' learning how to harness the wolf in him and combine it with his own essence. With all that internal work he found that in wolf mode he was able to use his human mind, but it was in tuned with his wolf instincts. As soon as Oz came back he contacted his cousin, the little boy who had bitten him and sent him to the monks in Tibet; anything to keep the child away from the Hellmouth and the hunters, like Cain. Though Cain was dead, that was the thing about the Hellmouth and the master; they didn't care what type of human you were. Cain had discovered him a few months after he was bitten and had tried to hunt him. Except the hunter had not done his homework, Oz tried to save the hunter, but he refused to believe in vampires even as Xander and Willow attacked him. 

Oz walked around the house trying to appear as a common stray dog, which in the darkness he probably did look like. He could smell the scents of the occupants of the house. He drew closer to the dining room window trying to pick out Buffy's scent so he could identify her later. But there was another scent an undead scent, a vampire. It was familiar, but Oz couldn't place it. As Buffy got up to close the open window he heard part of her conversation.

"So you guys can afford a shopping spree tomorrow?"

"Sure." Her mother replied.

"Why, honey, what's wrong?" Hank asked.

"Nothing, I just don't want to be a burden."

"Buffy, don't think that," their voices drifted out of range as Buffy closed the window.

Oz had her scent and he knew what she was doing tomorrow. As he turned he caught sight of the swoosh of a leather coat as someone walked away. He turned and quickly ran back to the van, but as he started toward the street a car came out of nowhere and headed straight for him. He turned and ran to the only safe place, Buffy's front door. He slammed head first into the door, barely missing the car. He looked up to see a vampire laughing at him as they drove off. He turned toward the van when the door opened and he fell onto the feet of the person who opened it. He felt pain shoot up his front leg as he heard heavy breathing above him. He looked up to see Buffy staring horrified down at him. Not able to talk in this form, he tried to get up and back slowly away from her, but only managed to fall back on his butt.

"Buffy?" Her mother asked from behind her.

Buffy glanced down at the wounded animal, trying to figure out how a wolf could possibly be here. It looked so scared as it stared up at her.

"Buffy?" Joyce called as she stepped up behind her daughter.

But Buffy's eyes never left the animal before her. "It's a dog, he's hurt." Buffy spoke.

The animal whimpered as Joyce appeared at the doorway.

"Buffy, it's probably a stray."

"He looks so scared, not like Oz."

"Buffy?"

The animal seemed alarmed by the name and started to back away. Buffy stepped forward and tried to pet it.

"Buffy, you don't know what it has."

Buffy watched as the frightened animal looked up at her.

* * *

Tara watched Oz and Buffy from inside the van down the street. She put her hooded black sweatshirt on with the hood up. Then she grabbed an old ripped collar and leash. 

"What are you doing?" Giles asked.

"Oz is h-hurt and ssometimes he'll ch-change involun-tarily when he gets too sscared. It's like a defense mechanism."

She pulled the hood down over her forehead more, and then quietly slipped out of the van. Tara walked down toward the Summers Residence. She took a deep breath, hoping to suppress her stutter.

"Silver." She called out, it was the name her and Oz came up with in case of a situation like this. He had even gnawed on the collar and leash to make it seem realistic.

Buffy heard a female voice call out and watched as the wolf turned in the direction of the voice.

"Silver, where are you, you bad dog!" Buffy looked up and saw a woman across the street. Even in the dark Buffy could see that the woman was carrying a torn collar.

"Well, that explains it." Joyce spoke as she too caught sight of the woman.

But something wasn't right, Buffy could feel it.

"Silver!" The voice became annoyed.

"Go," Buffy urged the wolf.

As it slowly limped over to its owner whose face was shadowed by the hood of the shirt, Buffy knew that she had heard that voice before. Once the dog was at the sidewalk its owner crossed and picked him. The woman barely even glanced in their way as she carried the animal across and down the street.

As Joyce led her daughter inside, Buffy realized something odd about that wolf. It had the exact same colored eyes as Oz. Not as a wolf, but as a human. Normal everyday Oz, but how was that possible wolves generally had pale blue eyes. Didn't they?

* * *

Once inside the van Giles waited 5 minutes before driving away. Oz transformed back and dressed as Giles headed toward the motel where they had reserved a room. 

"What happened?" Giles asked Oz.

"There was a vampire watching her, probably from Sunnydale, he smelled familiar and strong." He readjusted his wrist and winced realizing he broke it. "Damn, vamps tried to kill me."

"Giles, d-drop us off at a-a hospital, he needs this to be wr-wrapped up." Tara spoke.

"What did you hear?" Giles asked Oz.

"Her mother is taking her on a shopping spree tomorrow. I've been around here once when I was with the band. There's a nice indoor mall about 5 minutes from our hotel, that's where they would go."

"Are you sure?" Giles asked.

"Positive, it's the only place in the area where they can find Buffy nice expensive clothes in style, but not too expensive that she would feel guilty. There's a lot of that feeling in that house."

"Money," Giles asked distracted.

"Guilt, I think Buffy thinks that being in the hospital put a strain on her relationship with her parents."

"Or, she feels guilty for what she d-did to the f-friends in her m-mind."

As Giles pulls up to the hospital both men look at her.

She pulled open the sliding door and then realizes that they are watching her. "What? I think about it, we go up to her tomorrow she's going to f-flip, but we could u-use that. Cause I'm dead!"

* * *

Faith let Wesley get some sleep and she helped Angel out of the bathroom. Wesley had clothed him in some of Giles' clothes, black sweat pants and a loose black button down shirt. Faith had insisted that he wear socks, which Angel couldn't figure out why. He watched the slayer as she told two of her group to go find him some fresh blood from a hospital or butcher once the sun rises. She laid him on the couch as another girl handed her a hot cup of tea. 

"What is with this guy and tea?" Faith asked smiling at the girl.

The other girl shrugged her shoulders, "he's British, I don't know."

The other girl, Nancy (?) who was bandaging some of Angel's worse wounds spoke up, "he only drinks coffee when he doesn't want to be calmed."

"Must be scary," Faith remarked.

"Can be," the man, Larry, replied.

Angel winced as the woman touched a very sensitive wound.

"Nancy, careful," Faith whispered.

"Trying, but it looks like there is something in the wound."

Faith gently rolled Angel onto his side so he was facing the cushioned back of the couch. He could feel them lifting his shirt to inspect the wound on his side.

"Man that is deep." Faith whispered. She pushed a belt into Angel's face. "Bite down; we have to pull it out." Angel did as he was told as he saw Larry standing over them with the lamp in his hand.

"Amy, can you help?" Faith asked.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Faith handing a pair of long tweezers to the girl he didn't know. He refused to look away as he felt several hands brace him to hold him still. He felt the cold instrument dip into the wound and searing pain as whatever was lodged in there was tugged on. He bit down hard as the pain continued. Minutes ticked by as Amy carefully tried to wedge it out.

"It's not coming out." She whispered, but Angel could hear her.

"Give it to me, and hold him." Faith spoke and hands traded places; "Angel, on the count of three."

He nodded his head and closed his eyes.

"One, two, three." YANK!

He screamed biting down harder, and vamped out. He expected them to back away, but the hands remained in place. Except one that was trying to quickly bandage him up.

Still panting for unneeded breath, he glanced up at Larry. Larry looked down at him not startled by Angel's face. "What was it?" He gasped.

Larry glanced up at Faith. Angel watched as Faith brought the tweezers into his view. Although it was covered in his blood Angel could see the piece of wood.

"It looks like a match stick?" Amy spoke sounding confused.

"It is," Angel rasped.

"Dude they really didn't like you." Larry commented.

"No, they don't." Angel replied as Faith rolled him over and propped him up on the couch.

"What were they trying to do?" Nancy asked.

"Burn the soul out," he replied as he let his demon face fade back. He shuttered involuntarily. "I was her puppy, and she rode me every chance she got. Her boy would even join in sometimes."

"Who?" Larry asked.

"Willow and Xander," he saw Faith's confusion and elaborated, "red head and brunette."

"White Hats," Amy whispered.

"Oh," Faith whispered, "I haven't faced them yet, just Spike and Dru."

"How are you still here?" Angel asked.

"He wanted his minions to take me down instead, why?"

Angel tried to sit up more, but it only caused more pain, so he gave up. "Spike has killed two slayers in his time."

"And how many have you killed?" Faith asked.

"None, I was never interested in the slayer."

"But you created Spike?" Amy asked.

"No, I sired Drusilla, and she sired Spike, your watcher's books probably call him William the Bloody."

He watched the realization hit Faith's face. "That's where I heard the name Angelus before; you're part of the Scourge of Europe."

He nodded his head, "was. Darla is dead; she was my sire and was sired by the master himself. I killed her right after the Harvest and in his rage the master locked me away in the Bronze as they took the town." He glanced up at Larry and Nancy. "Your friends were the first two to be sired by the master after he rose."

"We weren't really friends." Larry explained, "just classmates. But Willow she was super smart, she could have done anything with her life."

"What do you mean?" Faith asked.

"She was a computer whiz," Nancy spoke. "She was the smartest person in probably the whole school and she was only a sophomore."

"Should I be worried?" Faith asked.

"I don't think so," Amy replied. "As a vampire she hasn't used her smarts very much as all."

* * *

After trying to run over the wolf Spike joined the rest at a dingy motel. 

"So?" Willow asked.

"The wolf, witch, and librarian are here."

Drusilla hissed. "Ruff, bad dog, no broken 'SNAP' bone will stop him."

"No, it bloody won't!" Spike exclaimed. "But we'll get her tomoorow."

"Why what's going on?" Xander asked.

"We're going shopping." Spike grinned.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Oz and Tara bought coffees and sat by the entrance they hoped that Buffy and her mother would use. Meanwhile Giles was back at the motel. He had called to check in and had Nancy on the internet trying to find out where Buffy's father, Hank Summers worked.

"How's your arm?" Tara asked.

"Medication definitely a good," he nodded. "Did you read more?"

"Yeah, we were b-both involved with the undead sk-skank."

"Ironic, the slayer pins us both with her best friend."

"And now we have to convince her that her b-best friend is evil."

"And that we aren't who she believes us to be."

"Minus the wolf," Tara added.

"Of course," he placed a hand over hers. "I miss us."

"I do too; w-why did we break up?"

"Don't remember," Oz replied as he leaned forward and kissed her.

* * *

Buffy entered the mall with her mother. She glanced around at the few customers already moving from store to store. She caught sight of a couple making out in the food court, a short red headed man and a highlighted brunette woman. She smiled sadly.

"So," Joyce spoke, "How 'bout we start with some caffeinated sugar?"

Buffy smiled, "sounds good."

She followed her mother past the kissing couple to the coffee shop in the corner.

* * *

"But it's always so bright and sunny at malls." Xander spoke.

"Not this one, whelp, this one has fake sky lights with sewer entrance from the attached parking garage." Spike replied.

"Yeah, and how are we supposed to get the sewers, you picked the one motel without sewer entrance?" Xander asked.

"Well, if you had some cash, we would be in the Ritz instead." Spike argued.

Willow ignored them and followed Drusilla into the joined room where the insane vampire was looking out the back window. "Dru?"

"Fighting leads to fun, but I found the treasure. It's not lovely and bright, but dank and shaded."

"Dru?" Willow asked again as she stepped up the window, but paused as she saw the man hole cover in the shade of the building. "Dru, you deserve a treat for this?"

"Daddy's gone to the light," she turned to Willow and smiled, "we need a puppy."

* * *

Oz pulled away from Tara to see the slayer headed away from the coffee shop toward the rest of the mall. "Buffy."

"W-what!" Tara exclaimed.

Oz pointed in the slayer's direction.

Tara stood and glanced at Oz, "well, I-I guess we should follow."

He gave her a goofy grin. "Probably should."

* * *

Faith glanced up from her book at the vampire sleeping on the couch. She was reading a watcher's journal that recounted one slayer's encounter with the notorious Angelus. In it both had fought hard, but the slayer began to gain advantage. In the end his sire Darla swooped in killed the slayer and escaped from the watcher's rage. The event took place only a few years after Angelus had been created. Faith guessed that the event must have scarred the vampire. If so why had he come to Sunnydale to seek out the slayer and how did the soul play into all this? The door opened and Larry and Nancy entered with two brown paper shopping bags.

"Butcher shop and hospital," Nancy spoke, she glanced around. "Where's Amy?"

"She went back to her base, she's sending Jenny over."

Larry set the bags on the kitchen counter, "and Wesley?"

"Still sleeping, he hasn't gotten much sleep since we left Cleveland, I figure I'll let him sleep until Giles calls again."

Someone knocked on the door, which Larry answered. Jenny entered, greeting Nancy and Larry, before she headed toward the couch. She stepped around it to get a better look at the vampire.

"Why is he not chained?" She asked.

Faith carefully unbuttoned the shirt and listened to Jenny's gasp, before buttoning the shirt up again.

"Is it possible for a vampire to have a soul?" Faith asked quietly. "There's no entry of the event in any of the Watcher's Journals, but he insists he has one."

Jenny breathed in deeply and then exhaled, "he does."

All eyes turned toward Jenny, "only Giles knows, but I am part of an ancient gypsy clan. I was originally sent here to watch him." She gestured toward Angel. "When he was captured I stayed to help fight, I assumed he was dead."

"But..." Faith encouraged her.

Jenny looked away from the vampire to Faith. "Just in case, the master tried anything, I found a spell and anchored his soul, so he can't lose it and Angelus cannot return."

"Does he know?" Faith asked quietly.

"No, I don't think so."

* * *

Tara held the dress under chin and looked at her reflection in the mirrored pillar as Oz watched Buffy exit the dressing room.

"This would have m-made a g-good prom dress."

Oz glanced at Tara's dress; it was pretty and matched Tara's complexion perfectly. "Yeah, it's beautiful." He leaned up and kissed her forehead.

* * *

Joyce glanced over at the couple worriedly. This was the fourth time she had glanced around and seen them only standing a few feet from them. At first she thought it was a coincidence, but after four stores she was beginning to worry. Neither seemed dangerous, but it was odd. She took the clothes from her daughter and the two headed for the register. She glanced at the mirrored pillar and saw the couple watching Buffy. The girl put the dress back with a sad look on her face. As they made their way out of the store, Joyce suggested shoes and was delighted by her daughter smiling agreement. As they stepped onto the escalator Joyce happened to see the couple following her. What worried her more was when she heard the woman gasp as her partner pointed downward; she looked down to see a foursome enter the mall all wearing dark clothes and three in leather. Joyce wasn't sure why, but the presence of the group worried her.

Buffy looked around as she stepped on the escalator on the ground floor she spotted a group of four enter the mall from the parking lot entrance. There were two men, a bleached blonde and shaggy haired brunette, and two women, one with long raven hair and the other had brilliantly short red hair. Something about them tugged at the back of her mind, she knew them.

Tara watched anxiously as the vampires split up, the girls headed toward a lingerie shop as the men headed in their direction.

"We have to spill some of this of the slayer just in case." She whispered to Oz holding a bottle of water.

"Holy?"

She nodded her head.

* * *

Buffy entered the shoe store and began to browse ignoring the nagging feeling. ((They just look like them, but they aren't. Nope, it's all in my head, because I was crazy, but now I'm not. Now I'm shopping for shoes.))

"Buffy?"

Startled by the familiar voice Buffy dropped the box she was holding and stared. Not able to trust her own memories, she remained speechless.

"It is you."

She glanced up at the scruffy man before her and wished so hard that she could remember.

"It's been like forever, but your mom told me. It's totally understandable. I mean you were under such stress. So how are you?"

Tara and Oz watched as the scruffy homeless looking guy approached Buffy. Tara started toward them, but Oz stopped her.

"Human."

"You sure?"

"The nose knows."

"Right, so who is he?"

"Not sure, but there's one of my old band mates," he pointed to a guy in the back studying a pair of black boots.

Joyce made her way over to where her daughter was talking to a homeless looking man, but as she grew closer she recognized him. A week after Buffy's prom, when the gym burned to the ground and Buffy was put into the hospital, a boy arrived at their doorstep asking for Buffy. He explained that he was a friend. When Joyce told him where her daughter was the boy seemed angry, but didn't say so. He handed Joyce a picture of him and Buffy at the prom and simply left. He returned a week later to ask to see Buffy. She took him to the hospital and he tried to get through to her. By that time Buffy was too far gone. Joyce watched as the boy left broken hearted. Deep down Joyce hoped that now the man could get through to her daughter.


	9. Chapter 8

**Wishing For Normal Again**

TV-14, I haven't figured out all the content, but it won't be any more graphic than those Buffy & Spike sex scenes in S6.  
Pairings: Will be random to fit with the AU-ness of this story, definites are X/W, and D/S.

Disclaimer: All belongs to Joss Whedon.  
Spoilers: The Wish & Normal Again: BtVS, with a few Angel characters through out.  
Summary: A weird mix of the episodes The Wish from S3 and Normal Again from S6, this is AU. Sorry it's not the Shrimp world, slightly different.

**Chapter 8**

He saw the confusion in Buffy's eyes and hoped that she would remember him. He smiled slightly trying to comfort her. She wrinkled her brow trying so hard to remember who he was. He visited her in the hospital after her parents had her committed; it broke his heart to see her eyes so lifeless. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, she caught sight of a two men entering the store. He looked up in horror at the two vampires standing in the entrance looking directly at Buffy.

"Joyce," he called to Buffy's mother.

She hurried over. "What's wrong?"

"Take Buffy into the back until I say."

Joyce's eyes grew wide. "Pike, what is it?"

"Gang members, hurry, stay there until I say."

"Pike?" Buffy asked confused, and then the memory clicked into place. "How?"

"I'll explain later, just get into the back." He spoke pointing to the stockroom door.

As Joyce ushered Buffy into the back, a familiar woman bumped into Buffy spilling her water bottle down the front of Buffy's shirt.

"Im s-sorry." The woman whimpered as she stepped away toward the red haired man in the front.

((I know that voice, I know her, how, why, how?)) Buffy tried to reach for her, but Joyce was already pulling her into the stock room. Once they were half way through the maze of shoes Buffy stopped. "Mom, how do you know Pike?"

"After you were put in the hospital he came to visit you. When I told him where you were, he became so angry, I didn't understand why until he handed me a picture of the two of you at your prom. He stormed away, but returned a few weeks later wanting to visit you. So I took him to see you hoping he could get through to you, but you were already too far gone. He continued to visit you off and on for about two years."

((Pike is real, so Hemery was real, so I really did burn down the gym? And who was the woman? I know her, oh god, who?))

"So the homeless whelp thinks he can save the damsel?" A British accent voice spoke from the front of the store.

((No, oh, god, oh god, I know that voice, oh god, oh god, it can't be real.)) As she struggled with the thoughts whirling through her head, she sank to her knees.

"Buffy?"

((No, no, no, it's all in my head, they aren't real I made them up, I made them up, I made them up, oh god, no…))

* * *

As Willow strolled through racks of expensive and lacy lingerie, Drusilla sniffed perfumes. She floated over to the redhead and handed her a bottle.

"Willowing Darkness for the dark Willow," she whispered.

Willow smiled as she took a sniff, "Thanks, Dru, you always do know what I like." She ripped the upc code off and put the bottle into her purse.

"Oooo," Drusilla whimpered.

"Dru? Dru, what is it?"

Drusilla looked up and smiled. "So many thoughts they swirl around in her head." She sang as she waved her hips and rubbed against the Willow. "Swirl and whirl, whirl and swirl, through her head, too much, too much."

"Where?"

Drusilla looked up at the ceiling.

Willow smiled, "I think it's time we joined our boys."

Drusilla giggled.

* * *

Oz watched the man approach Buffy. Tara started toward them, but he stopped her. "He's human."

"You sure?" She asked.

He tapped his nose.

She stepped back, but stopped and stared. He turned and saw Xander and a blonde vamp head toward the store. He turned back to see the guy pushing Buffy and her mom into the back. Tara hurried over and spilled the holy water on Buffy's shirt. She turned and hurried back over to his side as the guy walked toward the front. The guy glared at them and then yelled out.

"Devon, bag!"

Oz and Tara looked up just in time to see a black duffel bag sail over their heads and watched as the guy yanked it out of the air. He ripped it open and pulled out a large wooden cross and a stake.

"Load up if you're going to help." He said as he tossed the bag to Tara.

She kicked it behind her. "Thanks, but I always come prepare." She replied as she pulled her stake out of her waistband and pulled the cross out from under her shirt.

"Oh, look," Xander commented, "It's the witch and the wolf."

The blonde sneered at them. "So the homeless whelp thinks he can save the damsel?"

Suddenly Oz realized that this was Spike. He growled low under his breath knowing the vampires would hear him.

"Well, the wolf's got a spine. I'll snap it."

"Snap this peroxide!" Oz turned to see Devon balanced on two stools holding a cross bow. He let the bolt fly.

Spike caught it inches from his chest and then threw it back. The bolt simply bounced off Devon's chest. Spike growled. Or so Oz thought until he saw Willow and Drusilla walk up from behind Xander.

"Dru, luv, what's wrong?" Spike asked.

"Swirl and whirl," Drusilla replied as she rubbed against Spike.

"We came to help you kill crazy." Willow replied.

"What is with you vamps and leather?" Devon commented from the back as he walked across the tops of the shoe stands. He stopped directly in front of the stock room door.

The vampires ignored him as Dru stepped toward Oz. "Ooo, puppy. Ruff, so pretty in chains, not like daddy."

Oz growled loudly.

"Ruff, bad puppy, mummy will teach you, or the dark willow."

* * *

As Tara listened to the banter, she began drawing up her power, while at the same time blocking it off to the vampire's detection. Most of the deadly-to-vampire spells she knew wouldn't be helpful here indoors, because it could hurt all of them as well. A time shift spell would take up too much power. Then it hit her, the perfect spell, she opened her eyes slowly.

"Ooo, bad witch, bitch." Drusilla hissed.

Pike looked over at the woman to see her eyes had turned completely white. 'Oh, this can't be good,' he thought. But to his surprise, the vampires were the ones screaming. He looked up to see them floating a foot or so off the ground.

"Bye," the woman spoke and the vampires were pushed out of the store, out into the open air and the dropped to the floor three stories below. She closed her eyes and then opened them again blinking. "We have to get out of here now, before they wake up."

"You're a witch?" Devon asked as Pike went to get Joyce and Buffy.

Tara nodded her head.

"That is so cool." He replied as he packed up his weapons in the discarded duffel bag and then headed toward the register.

Oz caught Tara as she stared to sit on a nearby stool.

"Was that a good idea?"

"It was an idea, we can't confront them here." She turned to see Buffy enter the store. She looked up at Oz and Tara. Her eyes widened and she immediately started to shrink back away from them.

"No, no, no, they aren't real, not here."

"Buffy!?" Joyce tried to restrain her daughter, but with little effort.

The second she saw them Buffy began to pull away. She was so shocked to the core just by seeing them that she didn't realize that she was speaking aloud. She began to pull out of her mother's arms so forcefully that Pike had grabbed her and held her against his chest.

Joyce looked pissed. "Who are you?" She asked the couple angrily.

"Tara, a-and this i-is Oz, w-we're fr-friends."

"So why is my daughter reacting like this?"

"She knows us from inside her mind." Oz replied. "Those delusions she had were based on truth. We aren't here to hurt you, we just want to talk."

"So talk."

"Not here, can you meet us somewhere?"

Pike spoke up, "I know a place; we'll meet you in an hour."

Tara and Oz nodded their heads in agreement, as Buffy curled into Pike arms hiding her face in his chest.

((Why, how are they real? I thought I was safe, with mom and dad; even safe with Pike, but how? If I close my eyes, will they go away?))


	10. Chapter 9

_Lawson appears is S5 of Angel, if you haven't seen that episode: Lawson was a soldier in WW1 that Angel made a vampire, except Angel had a soul at the time._

**Chapter 9**

Faith hung up the phone and looked at the multiple pairs of eyes watching her. "They made contact with Buffy and fought Spike, Drusilla, Willow, and Xander." She reported grimly.

"Are they alright?" Nancy asked.

"Yeah, everyone is alive, vampire and humans. Tara performed a little magical mojo, but all parties are alive. Oz says that they are going somewhere to talk with Mrs. Summers and Buffy's bodyguard; I didn't understand that part either. Giles thinks it might be smarter to bring her parents in on this and bring everyone here to the Hellmouth. He said it would be the best plan, since Buffy is in full denial mode."

They were all silent.

"Oh, and Angel, the vampires truly believe you're dead, so you are not leaving the house for any reason. If they find out you're alive, we're all dead."

Angel nodded his head.

Larry raised his hand, "uh, bodyguard?"

"Yeah, some guy who went to high school with Buffy or something, he was working at the store where they were attacked. Oh, and another guy who used to be in a band with Oz."

"Devon?" Larry and Nancy asked glancing at each other.

"Yeah, I think that's what he said, why?" Faith asked.

"He went high school with us," Larry replied.

"I didn't think he escaped this town," Nancy added.

The phone rang and Faith immediately picked it up. "Hello?" There was no reply and then a click.

"They hung up;" she spoke cautiously, "that isn't good."

* * *

Lawson watched as Penn hung up the phone and tore a page out of the phone book that Penn had made Lawson hold. Penn pocketed the page and then tossed the book into a barrel of burning rubbish.

"You sure this is a good idea?" Lawson asked his older vampiric brother.

"Course it is, master wants the slayer dead, so we're going to help." Penn replied with a smile.

"I don't remember him asking you to do it?"

"Hey, the only way to get noticed by him is to do something. Cause if you haven't already detected, we're the black sheep, you more than me. Don't you want to be up there with Spike and Dru?"

"But they're master vamps."

"So I would be too if he hadn't left me so soon and if you had been created before the soul."

"I still don't think this is a good idea."

"Yeah, well, you think too much." Penn replied as he headed toward the closed liquor store across the street from the pay phone.

* * *

Oz, Tara, and Giles arrived at the address Pike had supplied. It was a club; Giles found the door unlocked and led the way inside. It was empty with chairs balanced on top of tables and a large stage before them. On the stage was Pike, Devon, Joyce, Buffy and another man who Giles guessed was Hank Summers.

"Giles?" Buffy whimpered.

Her parents glanced over at her in shock and then over to Giles. Giles held up his empty hands in surrender.

"We aren't here to harm you or your daughter; we're here to protect her?"

"From who?" Joyce asked.

"There are people who mean your daughter harm, we are only here to protect her and guide her toward her destiny."

"NO!" Buffy screamed.

Everyone was surprised by her out burst.

"No, it's not real, I killed it; the doctor told me to." She began to speak to herself as she sat down on a chair behind the group on the stage.

Giles, Tara and Oz were ready for this. "Buffy, in the hospital the doctor told you that Sunnydale did not exist, that we were not real, but here we are." Giles spoke.

"No," she replied.

"Tara," Giles spoke.

The witch stepped forward and began chanting. The group on the stage backed away as through Tara were dangerous. Buffy looked up with wide eyes as she recognized the spell. Before them chairs began to levitate, then Joyce spoke.

"This isn't real."

"But it is," Tara spoke opening her eyes so that they could see her irises turning smoky white. "Buffy, in your mind what was Oz."

"Werewolf," Buffy replied sounding timid and scared.

"Why did he leave?"

"To find inner piece after killing Veruca."

"Veruca is not real, but he did find it."

Buffy stood and watched as Oz transformed.

Joyce gasped as she recognized him as the wolf from the night before, especially now that the cast was tightly wrapped around his front leg. Instead of turning into a snarling monster as she had expected he turned into an actual wolf. He was the same wolf that was at her doorstep last night. He stepped out of the clothes that were now too big for his small body, but with the cast he was unable to take the shirt off and Buffy watched as he limped toward her.

"Dude," she heard Devon whisper at the sight of his former band mate.

Oz hopped up onto the stage. Everyone watched him with wide eyes as he stepped toward Buffy and she reached out and petted him. Tara tossed him his pants as he began to change back under Buffy's hand. A human hand reached out and grabbed the pants. As he slipped them on Buffy stood to meet his eyes.

"Your cousin bit you."

"Yes."

"And Cain tried to kill you."

"He was killed by a demon, while following us through Sunnydale."

"Is Willow your girlfriend or Tara?"

"Tara is my girlfriend."

"But Xander and Willow are together?"

"Yes."

"Where are they?"

* * *

That evening Faith sat tending to Angel's healing wounds as Jenny explained to him about his soul.

"So Angelus can never escape?"

"No, we had enough to worry about with the master; I didn't want a chance for Angelus to escape as well."

He nodded his head, "thank you."

"Your…"

CRASH!

Faith jumped up and yelled, "RUN!"

Fire exploded from under the front door. Larry grabbed the duffel bag next to him and pushed Nancy toward the back.

"Is there a back way out?" Faith yelled.

The sound of glass breaking interrupted her. She turned to see Wesley throwing an end table out the back window. "There is now." Larry ran to Angel and lifted him off the couch. Nancy grabbed the bag from him and ran out the broken window frame. Wesley stepped out as the front window was broken and a maltof cocktail was thrown in. Faith pushed Larry past her and ran for Jenny who was standing with her hands out over Giles' weapons and books.

"We have to go!" Faith yelled.

Jenny chanted and then a blue bubble appeared over various objects in the room. She turned to Faith. "I had to protect the books."

Faith looked around now everything, but the broken window was ablaze. She grabbed Jenny and leaped out the window. Once outside the group began running toward the street at the opposite corner. Angel hobbled between Larry and Nancy. Ahead of them was a white van with it side door opening. Amy hopped out and ran toward them to intercept Angel. She pulled Angel into the van where there was a man with brown hair waiting for them.

"How did you get here so fast?" Nancy asked.

"In the neighborhood," Amy replied, "we saw the blaze as we passed by, then you called and we turned around and came here to wait. There are two vamps outside the flat."

Faith hoped in the van and door was closed behind her. "Anyone hurt?"

No one answered.

"Good, Wes, call Giles, tell him everything. Amy, let me out I'm going to find those stupid vamps."

"Here," Larry spoke handing Faith a sword.

Before she could ask the brown haired man spoke, "we keep extra weapons in the van."

Faith took the weapons and hopped out. The van door slammed closed behind her and the van drove off.

Nancy turned to Wesley, "we forgot to tell her where the house is."

"No, I stuck a note in her pocket," Larry replied.

* * *

Faith ran around to the front of the apartment, but their arsonists had already taken off. She then started stalking her way toward the middle of town in hopes of finding something to slay. As the sun began to rise, she realized that she had no idea where the other group lived. She shoved her hands into her pocket, but as she shoved her right hand in she felt an odd crinkle. She withdrew the scrap of paper; it was folded neatly in half. She opened it to find an address quickly written on the paper.

'1630 Revello Dr. -Larry'

She smiled and began to head in that direction.

* * *

"Where are they?" Buffy asked.

"I-in S-sunnydale," Tara replied.

"Why didn't they come?"

Tara and Oz glanced at each other, but it was Giles who cleared his throat to speak.

"The thing is Buffy you would have been the key element that would have tied us all together, so in your absence we never actually became acquainted with Willow or Xander."

"Oh," Buffy replied quietly.

"The reason we are here Buffy is due to you. In the hospital the doctor told you that you were suffering from delusions, except that is not entirely true." Giles continued.

"What do you mean?" Buffy asked sounding scared.

"Your delusions are based on the actual slayers life, the life you should have had."

"What exactly are you saying, Mr. Giles?" Joyce asked.

"Buffy, your daughter was called to be the slayer at age 16 and although we currently have a slayer residing in Sunnydale, Buffy still has the powers."

"I don't understand," Hank spoke.

"Into every generation a slayer is chosen," Buffy whispered loud enough for all to hear, "to hunt the dark creatures of the night, the vampires and demons, she is the slayer."

"But…" Joyce began.

"Buffy was called, but after her break down, another was called. She died and now there is another, she is in Sunnydale right now and she needs Buffy's help." Tara told them.

"Who?" Buffy asked, "what's her name?"

"Faith," Oz spoke from where he was sitting next to her on the stage.

"No," Buffy exclaimed. "There's no way, I'll help her."

"She's different, Buffy, she's not the woman you think she is." Tara spoke.

"She kills people." Buffy told them.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"No, Buffy, she doesn't, that was part of your delusion; Faith is more like you than you would think." Giles replied.

"Are you her watcher?" Buffy almost sounded jealous.

"No, Wesley Wyndom-Price is."

Buffy smiled. "Are you joking, he couldn't handle her."

"Actually before we left he seemed to be doing an excellent job." Oz replied.

Buffy was so confused, everything was so wrong.

Giles stepped forward. "Buffy," he voice was solemn and calming. "We understand that you have been through a lot, but we also know that Faith can't fight the master alone, she sent us here to beg for your help."

'The Master!' "She hasn't killed the Master, yet?" Buffy asked sounding terrified.

"No, she has been living in Cleveland on the other Hellmouth until recently."

"Other Hellmouth?"

"Buffy, please, she needs your help, we need your help." Giles pleaded.

"I won't leave my parents."

"We aren't asking you to."

"Does the Council know?"

"The Council turned their back on Faith a long time ago."

"I mean did the Council send you to me."

"Buffy, the Council is no longer considered your ally."

"What?" Buffy was confused, "wait, what did they do to me?"

"Buffy, while you were catatonic a member from the council tried to kill you to activate the next slayer."

"They what!" Joyce exclaimed.

"But a nurse revived you just in time, since then we think your delusions were based on actual memories of Kendra and Faith."

Buffy shook her head. ((She had turned her back on the Council several times before, but they had always found themselves pulled back into her life. DAWN! No, no, Dawn was just a figment of my imagination, she's not real.)) "But why would they let the Master just take over Sunnydale?"

"They didn't," Tara spoke, "they sent Kendra in four years ago, but she acted too rashly. She took charge, headed in and was killed, and then Faith was called."

"The Council tried to convince me to leave Sunnydale to search out Faith for failing Kendra, but I could not just leave." Giles added. "There were still people living and fighting on the Hellmouth."

"Who?" Buffy asked.

"Oz, Amy, Jenny, many kids you went to school with."

Oz glanced at his watched. "We should call Wesley again to update him, we haven't heard from him in awhile."

"Buffy, i-it's u-up to you, b-but we really d-do need your h-help." Tara spoke.

* * *

Faith made her way toward Revello Dr., when she had an odd feeling that she was being watched. She froze, stood in a fighting stance, and waited. She glanced around and then a twig snapped behind her. She spun and kicked connecting with a solid object. She looked up to see man wearing awful flashy clothes and a fedora hat fly backward and hit a tree. She flipped her stake out of her back pocket and stood at the ready. He stood and smirked.

"You're taller than I expected."

"Yeah? You're stupider than I expected." She spoke gesturing with the stake.

He moved his hands in a downward movement, "whoa down girl, I'm not a vampire."

"In those clothes?"

He held up a wooden cross. "Can't hold this if I was, no I'm just here to talk and with a kick like that a pep talk will not be needed."

"So who are you?"

"Name's Whistler, balance demon by trade, neutral partied, just here to provide some advice," he told her as he leaned against the tree.

"Provide away," she replied.

"You really do need her, but not just for the fight sake. She needs to see the light, that green sparkling light."

Fait

* * *

's eyes narrowed to slits. "What do you know about her?" 

"You read the transcripts? Death would have been her gift if the world was her way, but it's not and you'll have to discover yours. When the big fight comes protect her, she may be before you in the line, but you have the truth. The vampire needs to find his path as well; I'll send someone for him when needed. Family should not be broken, but some will shatter you must choose which ones. You will give them the power, you are the key's lock, use it."

"You do realize that only half of that made sense don't you?" Faith asked.

Instead of answering her, he grabbed her and pulled her into a cluster of bushes. Before she could fight back she spotted two vampires, both young in there mid-twenties human wise. The first one had short spiky blonde-brunette hair, while the other wore his brunette hair in a long mop-top sort of look.

The second spoke, "do really think the master will approve?"

"Why wouldn't he?" The first answered. "We all know that the rebels were hiding in two separate areas, now they're forced into one."

"I still have a bad feeling, like when they just decided to kill Angel."

"He's our sire, family, of course it feels wrong, but he was useless."

"Was he, Penn, couldn't the curse have been broken?"

Their voices drifted away, Faith turned toward Whistler, but he was gone. "Family," his voice whispered to her.

* * *

"Fine," Buffy sighed, "but if she tries anything."

"She won't," Giles spoke.

He then led the group out to Oz's van.

"Dude," Devon asked lightly placing a hand on Oz's shoulder, "how?"

"My cousin, Jordie, was bitten and he accidentally bit me, when we were having a tickle fight."

"When?"

"About five years ago."

"We'll have to take two cars," Giles was saying, he glanced at Joyce and caught her eye.

"Honey, I'm going to go with, Mr. Giles." She told Buffy.

Buffy nodded her head and grasped her father's hand.

Giles, Joyce, Oz, and Devon climbed into Oz's van as Pike took the driver's seat of Hank's car as he climbed in the back with Buffy and Tara sat in the passenger seat. Before Tara closed her door Giles handed her a folder, she nodded slightly as she took it.

* * *

Xander stood in the shadows and watched as the group spilt up and took separate cars. "So we failed?" He asked the other figure behind him.

A match struck the wall, lit and was pulled toward a cigarette. As the end of the cigarette began to burn the match was thrown aside. With a single long intake of breath, Spike stepped out of the shadows. He blew out into Xander's face. "Not really, we just herded everyone into one place, easy too kill. Or it will be if Penn was smart enough and understood what I told him."

Xander leaned in and reached toward Spike. Spike handed him the cig. Xander inhaled and handed it back.

As he spoke the smoke seeped out of his mouth. "Good, cause I hate to lose, especially to annoying blondes."

Spike smirked, "yeah, that was pretty funny, if Darla was good for anything it was for annoying the right people."

"Mmm, she did have her uses."

"Well, she was the reason you and your girl were spared at the Harvest. But then she does have a thing for young, handsome brunettes."

"Don't I know it."

* * *

Once they were out of the city limits, Buffy fell asleep in her father's arms.

"M-Mr. S-Summers, there i-is something I need you t-to read?" Tara whispered as she handed him the transcripts.

He took them and glanced at the first page. "What is it?"

"A t-transcript of e-everything that B-Buffy experienced in h-her mind, when we get to S-Sunydale you'll u-understand why?"

Hank skimmed through the first page before looking up at Tara again. "How did you get this?"

"The W-Watcher's Council w-was keeping t-tabs on B-Buffy with psychics."

"But I thought you said they were the bad guys?"

"They are, but M-Mr. Wyndom-Price h-has a contact there." She took a deep breath to calm herself.

Hank continued to read.

* * *

As Hank read, Joyce was in shock by what she was reading. "This is real?"

"From what we understand Buffy's delusions are based loosely on Kendra and Faith's own experiences." Giles explained as his phone rang. "He-Wesley, I…my flat, how?" Joyce ignored him and continued reading.

Giles slapped the phone shut so suddenly that Joyce jumped.

"What's wrong?" Oz asked.

"My flat, burned to the ground."

"How?" Joyce couldn't help herself from asking.

"Bloody vampires thought they could kill Faith."

"Wow are they stupid." Oz commented. "Wait, that means we have to take them to the house?"

"What house?" Joyce asked.

"Coincidental the other half of our group lives in the house Buffy believes she lived in, in her mind." Giles explained.


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Faith arrived at the house an hour after dawn with a box of doughnuts. She knocked and waited. Inside were sounds of thumping feet and metal scrapping metal. The door is flung open to reveal to men both holding weapons. The one before her was shorter than her with short brown hair; he held a cross and a stake. The one covering him was taller than Faith with sandy blonde hair; he held a crossbow.

"Whoa, down boys, I brought sugar."

They continued to glare at her. "Look sun, me not burning up, I'm Faith."

"Right, Faith," the short one spoke.

Amy appeared on the stairs behind the men, "Jonathan, Owen, she's Faith, back off."

Faith stepped over the threshold, "so nice digs."

Amy pushed the guys toward the dining room, "its home, well, it's actually Jenny's home, but we all live here."

"How many is that?"

"Jenny, me, Jonathan and Owen; we're all that's left. The vampires have been picking us off for years."

"Well, that's why I hope maybe we can bring Buffy into the fold."

"Yeah, I didn't want to sound rude, but isn't she crazy? Why do you want her here?"

"Well," Faith placed the box on the table and lifted the lid. "Me and Wes discussed it, she may be crazy, but she's still a slayer and we need all the help we can get. Plus I figure the worst that can happen is she'll just end up being one of those violent crazy people, which we could totally use."

"Hand her a stake and point her in the direction where she can do the most damage?"

"Exactly."

"Not a bad plan."

"Wes thought so, but when he saw the shape you all were in he came 'round." Faith took out a crème filled and took a bite. Amy giggled at the look of absolute pleasure on the slayer's face. "So," Faith swallowed, "when are they arriving?"

"Tonight."

"Fun, well, I'm going to go check on our nocturnal guest."

Amy handed her the first aid kit and duffel bag of blood. "Have fun!"

"Mmm," Faith mumbled with her mouth full of doughnut.

Angel was lying on his side reading a book, when Faith came down.

"Sugar high?" He asked without looking up.

"How…oh, right vampire senses, you want the last bite?" She asked holding the small piece out to him. He glanced at it and then at her. "Unless you don't eat, can vampires eat actual food?"

He smiled, "yes, we can and thank you." She gave him the piece and watched as he placed it into his mouth and savored the sugar.

She laid out the first aid stuff, found a soft cloth in a pile of clean laundry, filled a bowl next to the sink with warm water, and stepped toward Angel. He smiled licking his lips, "why are you doing this?"

"Giving you a doughnut?"

"Keeping me alive."

"You have a soul, plus apparently Buffy loves or loved you."

"So I'm a pawn?"

"You'll be useful, we don't know jack, except stake plus heart equals dusty vamp."

"So I'm a strategy tool?"

"What's with all the questions, if it was up to stake happy upstairs you'd be hanging by your wrists." She glanced down at the book. "Is that a Watcher's Journal?"

"Yeah, your watcher thought I could clear up the difference between fact and fiction."

She leaned over to see the cover, "this is the one about Spike."

"Angelus' grand childe William the Bloody a.k.a. Spike a.k.a. the pain in my ass."

"You two don't get along?"

"I, Angelus turned him from an innocent English poet to a ruthless murder."

"Spike was a poet?"

"Don't let the punk bad-ass attitude deceive you; he was once a bleeding heart."

She leaned over and began removing the bandages on his back. "Wow, you heal just as fast as I do." She lightly ran her fingers over his back. His back had completely healed and that's when she noticed his tattoo. "A for Angel or Angelus?" As she asked she lightly ran her fingers over the tattoo, causing the vampire to shiver.

"Both, I got it as Angelus, but it still seems fitting even now."

"So where you born Angel or is that like your vampire name?"

"I was born Liam, in Ireland, my sister when she saw me after I was turned she called me an Angel, my sire twisted it into Angelus."

"The one with the angelic face," Faith added.

"You studied the Watcher's Journals?"

"Wes, said I should know about the past, said it would come in handy."

"So when you rescued me from outside the Bronze you knew who I was?"

"No, I knew that the vamps were throwing away one of their own and that you would be useful."

"Useful," he muttered.

"Yeah, useful, look I know you haven't seen yourself as that in a long while, but you are." She glanced over his clean back again. "Roll over; I want to check your front."

He did.

She removed the bandages, some had healed, but the burn he received from the night before was still very new. She took the cloth out of the water, wrung it and began to clean the wound. "I know how you see yourself now. It was how I felt when Wesley found me after my other watcher had been killed."

"And how is that?" Angel asked cockily.

"Powerless, I watched as Kakitos tortured and murdered my watcher, she was human and defenseless. He wanted to make sure I knew that."

"Usually the best way to break a slayer," he muttered forgetting that with her slayer senses Faith could hear him.

"I hope you plan on never telling me that again."

"Sorry, I forgot how in tune slayers are."

"I bet," she replied as she began bandaging his wounds. "So have you ever met her, Buffy."

"No, I was visited by a balance demon once; he pulled me out of the gutter, literally. He took me to see her in LA, so I went to Sunnydale to wait for her."

"But she never came."

"No, when I tried to stop the harvest on my own sire captured me."

"Darla?"

"Right," he sighed as she finished. "She wanted me to watch the master turn Xander and Willow. I broke free and tried to stake the master, Darla got in the way so I staked her instead."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

* * *

Joyce handed Giles the transcript. "So this woman Faith, these are her memories?" 

"Some of them, yes," Giles replied.

"And this character Dawn, Buffy used to mention her a lot, is she Faith's sister?"

"We actually don't know."

"You don't know, how…"

"Mrs. Summers…"

"Joyce."

"Joyce, Faith is the strongest one in our group right now, so we are following her lead. If she has chosen not to tell us something then we are going to respect her for that. If you read the transcripts closely you'll see how much danger Dawn was in. Faith has a right to keep her a secret."

* * *

"Buffy, wake up we're almost there." Hank whispered. 

"What?" Buffy looked out the window to see the sun shining. She watched as the 'Welcome to Sunnydale' sign passed. The population number had been crossed out with either paint or blood (Buffy couldn't tell which) and now read 'deceased'. Buffy shuttered. Many of the building she thought she knew so well were either boarded up or burnt down. As they drove through Main Street the magic shop was still standing while the stores next to it seemed desolate. The biggest shock was when they drove past the high school, it was still standing. Windows were broken, but the school itself was completely intact. She closed her eyes; she didn't want to see any more. Nothing could be worse than just returning here to hell itself.


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Faith was still in the basement when Amy opened the door and let Giles and everyone in. Wesley was in the dining room discussing battle plans with Jenny, while the rest were scattered between the kitchen and the rooms upstairs. Tara and Oz left the group and went upstairs to find and empty bed and rest, Giles led the group into the living room. Wesley and Jenny entered and watched the group.

"Mr. and Mrs. Summers, Buffy, this is Wesley Wyndom-Price and Jenny Calender."

Buffy nodded her head at Wesley and then turned to Jenny. "So are you really a gypsy?"

Jenny seemed surprised by the blunt question, but she replied anyway. "Yes, are you really a slayer?"

Buffy glanced at Giles, "from what I've been told, yes." She glanced at them and then back to Giles. "Is this it?"

"No," they all looked up to see Owen, Nancy, Larry and Jonathan enter. Amy stood next to them. "I'm Jonathan," he introduced himself, "the tall blonde is Owen, the other is Larry, Amy, and Nancy."

Buffy glanced back and forth between them. "You are the ones who have been fighting the master all these years?" She seemed to be insulting them.

"Well, we're no Scooby Gang, but we're surviving." Larry replied snidely.

"What do you mean by that?"

Nancy stepped forward and dropped the transcript into Buffy's lap. "We know you think you know us, but you don't."

Buffy picked it up and flipped through it. "How? What, where?"

Giles cleared his throat, "the council has been keeping tabs on you."

"Why?"

"Why not?" Wesley replied, "With you committed they needed to know, what you knew. To protect you, us, to keep the master from gaining the advantage."

"So where are they?"

"Not here, they gave up on Sunnydale after Kendra died." Jenny replied.

Buffy looked to Giles, "what do you mean gave up?"

"They felt couldn't afford to risk another slayer."

"So why am I here?"

* * *

Faith and Angel had spent most of the afternoon talking about anything and everything. So when she heard voices above she regretfully knew she had to leave.

"They're here," Angel whispered.

"I know," Faith sighed as she stood up. "Well, here goes. I'm going to lock the door, seeing me will be bad enough."

"Good," at Faith's questioning look he continued. "I'm not ready to meet her just yet."

"Wish me luck," she spoke as she headed for the stairs.

He watched her climb up just as Faith closed the door she heard Angel reply with a "good luck."

She walked through the kitchen listening to the conversation.  
"They felt couldn't afford to risk another slayer."

"So why am I here?"

"Because it's not the council's choice," Faith spoke entering the room. "It's mine and yours." She said looking directly at the other slayer.

Buffy stood as she stared at the other slayer. In one hand she clenched the transcript. "So I hear you need my help." She spoke forgetting what had just been discussed.

"We, we all need your help. The town may be dead, but there are still people here. When they fall the master will be free to move on to LA, where your friends and parents live. After LA, California, do you really want to let him win?"

"Do you? Have you even faced him yet? Where have you been?"

"Living your dreams," Faith stepped up to the other slayer and took the transcript from her. She flipped through the pages, stopping at a page; she then looked directly into Buffy's eyes before looking back down. "The Initiative has been experimenting on demons and vampires. Buffy appears to be falling for a soldier named Riley Finn." She looked up. "I met Finn, not the way you think I did through a body swap. I met him as he tried to capture me, he saw me patrolling one night and tried to capture me. He thought I was a demon, he said his tracker led him to me. I told him it was because I was covered in vamp dust and demon blood from that night's kill." She saw the skeptical look in Buffy's eyes. "Everything you went through in your mind was either something Kendra or I went through. Cleveland is a Hellmouth too; I went to a weird high school."

"But you dropped out." Buffy whispered.

"Nope, Wes here wouldn't let me, said an education was too important."

* * *

Buffy was confused everything was different. She stared up at Faith and then looked over at Pike. He was so much older than she remembered him. She glanced over at Owen and the rest, finally her eyes stopped at Jonathan.

"What about Andrew and Warren?" She asked staring at him.

"Uh, me?" He asked, but seeing her unwavering stare he realized she was talking to him. "Who?"

"Andrew, Tucker's brother and Warren he makes robots."

"Tucker was killed when the master found his demon dogs," Larry spoke up.

"And Andrew?"

"Oh, oh yeah, the master turned Tucker's demons on him, they killed him." Jonathan finished. "I don't know any Warrens though."

'So no Trio', Buffy thought, she glanced over at Amy, then to Owen. "How did you get mixed into this?"

"I wasn't at the Bronze the night of the harvest, and then the next day at school I ran into Mr. Giles. Pretty much the same way Larry and Nancy stumbled into all this."

She then looked to Amy, who spoke before Buffy could. "Yes, I am a witch. Jenny has been teaching Tara and me."

"Buffy, why don't you sit?" Faith suggested.

Buffy turned to glare at Faith to show her that bossing her around would be a bad idea, but Faith was already leaving to room. She looked around to see Jenny standing.

"I just want to let you know, this my home and you are all my guests, I won't have you risking our lives if you're not ready." Jenny's eyes bore into Buffy's.

Buffy looked around to see all the Sunnydale residents staring at her. Faith reentered with a tray of cups, cream, sugar and a teapot. She placed it on the coffee table.

"If you're ready, B, I want to go patrol at sundown."

"Patrol?" Hank asked.

"For vampires," Wesley replied.

"Absolu…"

"Dad," Buffy stopped him. "I have to, I'm the slayer," she glanced up at Faith's stony face, "a slayer, it's what we do."

Faith nodded her head, "get some rest, I need a nap, I'll see you later. Jenny, give them the room you had for me, I'm going to stay downstairs." She gave Jenny a look as to keep the basement's secret quiet.

Jenny nodded, "Nancy, sleeping arrangements?"

Joyce spoke up. "We could just get a hotel."

"They don't exist in this town." Owen replied, "best way to get killed."

"Or worse," Jonathan added. "You'll stay here, where we can protect you."

"Whoa, and what about us?" Pike asked standing up.

"Yeah," Devon chimed in.

"What about you?" Owen asked.

"They're Buffy's bodyguards," Faith replied.

"We can help," Devon told them.

"Well, then you can patrol with Amy and I tonight." Larry replied. "We have to do a sweep of the block."

Pike nodded his head.

Devon stood, "I'm gonna get our stuff from the van."

* * *

Faith reentered the basement to find Angel reading. "How is she?" He asked without looking up.

"Scared, but she refuses to admit that Jenny and I are in charge. I'm afraid she may not be able to handle Spike or Dru."

"What about Willow or Xander?"

"I'm thinking complete mental break down, which is why I'm going to avoid the Bronze and Main Street tonight."

"When will you tell her?"

"Tomorrow after she sees the town."

"Don't wait, it won't take long for the master to find out she's here."

"I know."

* * *

"You failed! As I speak the slayer is making her way into my town!"

"Hey, we may have failed, but Penn and Lawson have made it easier for us to find them. They took away one refuge, now we just have ta find the other."

"Yes, neither of them is clever enough to come up with that trick, I suppose you put them up to it?"

"I did what of it?"

"Spike, stop!" Drusilla commanded.

Spike stepped back and let Dru push him behind her. She was his sire after all.

"We failed," she spoke, "but blonde babe is scared. Send the fire bearers after her. Give her time, then went bridges are stronger, drop," she handed the Master a tarot card.

He held it up, turned it around, it was the Death card. He smiled and took Drusilla's hand. "I thought Angelus was a fool, when he presented you to me. But you have turned out to be exactly what we need." He turned and led Drusilla into his private chamber. He turned back to Spike, "tell Xander and Willow to lay low tonight, send Lawson and Penn if they don't return then we wait, if they do kill them."

Spike smirked.


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Buffy sat at the kitchen counter as Amy poured her a cup of tea. "So you all patrol every night?"

"No, we alternate groups and nights, that way the Master can't keep a steady count on how many of us there are."

"How long have you all been living here?"

Amy took a seat across from Buffy with her own cup, "about five years, after my parents were killed. I convinced Jonathan, Owen and a few others to join us. Larry, Oz and Nancy moved in with Giles. Oz met Tara in college and after she was almost killed in her dorm, she moved in too." She took a sip of her tea. "So who's Pike?"

"He was my boyfriend in high school; he knew about me being the slayer and tried to help me."

"Didn't work, huh?"

"Nah, it worked we burned down the gym."

"That's why your parents locked you up."

"No, my parents had me committed because I told them that there were vampires in the gym and that's why I burned down the gym."

"Yikes, so why didn't you escape?"

((Why didn't I? I could have stopped all this, but then Amy's not a rat, so I guess this is better.))

"Drugs, the doctor's put me on drugs."

"And it made your condition worse," Amy and Buffy looked up to see Giles standing in the doorway. He held a manila file in his hand. "Wesley stole this from the hospital, when Faith visited you one Christmas."

"Faith visited, when?" Buffy asked.

"Last year, apparently," he went over to the stove and poured himself a cup of the still hot water. He sat down next to Amy and took a tea bag. He placed the folder open in between Amy and Buffy. "I've been reading this; it's your files from when you were first placed in the hospital. I haven't showed this to your parents yet, because you deserve to know first."

"What?"

"The doctor's were giving you a hallucinationgenic drug."

"The doctors made me…" She couldn't say it.

"Why?" Amy asked.

"I don't know, but I'm sure either the council or the master was involved."

"So the powers kept you connected through Kendra and Faith." Amy spoke.

"Must have, but why?" Buffy asked.

"So you could be here now?" Amy suggested. She knew it didn't make sense, but the world was messed up, what could she say.

* * *

At sun set Faith and Buffy set out to patrol, as Amy, Oz, Devon and Pike set out to cover the Main Street and Bronze area. 

"So was he your boyfriend?" Faith asked as she and Buffy entered Restview Cemetery.

"In high school freshman year, I had just found out that I was the slayer and rescued him from a vampire. He never left my side after that, he refused to let me quit after my watcher Merrick died. He was at the prom, when I set the gym on fire."

"And when you were taken to the hospital?"

"Apparently he came to visit me, but I was already gone. I never knew."

"Looks like he waited for you."

"Yeah, looks like."

They were quiet for a moment, before Buffy spoke. "Giles said you came to visit me too."

No answer, Buffy glanced over at Faith to see the other slayer staring off into the distance. "Faith, what is…"

Faith pushed her roughly to her right; Buffy looked up to see two vampires jump off of a mausoleum and land in front of them.

"Well, look who it is Lawson, the slayers."

"Scary," Lawson commented.

They both smirked and changed into vamp face.

"I got this one, Lawson, get the blonde."

"You have me?" Faith asked sounding offended. "I think it's the other way around, bub."

Buffy glanced at Faith taunting the other vampire before turning her full attention back to Lawson.

"Pfft, don't need him, I'll kill a slayer on my own." Lawson spoke as he punched Buffy. Buffy blocked, and they began the dance.

(("It's all we've ever been doing."))

"Why is he your daddy or something?" Buffy mocked as she jumped away from Lawson as he tried to sweep his leg around to trip her.

"Brother by sire, stupid horrible sire. What kind of sire just drops you off in the middle of the ocean, no guidance, nothing?"

"Got me, maybe he knew you were loser from the start." As she fought she could feel it all coming back to her. The rush, the power, the high, she flipped back, spun and kick the vamp in the jaw. She whipped her stake out and went in for the kill, but he blocked her.

"Not done yet," he mocked.

"So your sire?" She asked trying to distract him.

"Right bastard he was, turned me to save his own hide and then sent me away. I came here to finish him off, but instead the master had him dust. He pushed him out into the sun light as she was driving by and she staked him."

"She?" Buffy asked as she ducked a punch.

"Yeah, the other slayer, the one who isn't crazy," He sneered.

Buffy didn't like that one bit. She threw him against a tree and punched him repeatedly, "I'm-not-crazy!" She pulled back and staked him so hard that when he dusted she fell forward against the tree. She turned to see Faith and the other vampire still going at it. She glanced around for more, but there wasn't any. She leaned back against the tree and watched. Faith was good. Her fighting style was as Buffy remembered it; some moves were more controlled more planned out. Maybe this Faith was different. Buffy watched as Faith finally gained some space and threw the vamp at her.

"You finish him, B."

Buffy punched the vamp and then staked him.

* * *

Just as Faith was about to congratulate Buffy someone else began applauding. They both looked to the source. Buffy's eyes widened as she backed up toward Faith. 

"Curtains go down, audience applauds, cast dies." Drusilla announced as Spike lowered his hands.

"So you are the great Buffy?" He spoke looking her up and down. He threw a handful of papers at her and watched them scatter. "You are quite the good read. I especially like the part where you make me harmless and your own personal puppy vamp." He laughed. "Priceless, the best part is where you actually think I would come crying to you if Dru ever left me."

Drusilla hissed, "Sire, dust, no hero lover for you."

"That's right; we put Angel the soulful pounce right as he belongs, dusty."

"All gone," Drusilla sang.

Buffy grabbed Faith's hand.

"Funny thing, we read that you hated Faith, so what's with the sisterly love?" Spike asked.

"Sister pulled her into the world; have to seek protection," Drusilla vamped, "from us. Spike, can I make her my dolly?" She asked rubbing against Spike.

"Sorry, pet, master has a claim on her, but I have claim on old faithful here."

Drusilla purred as she licked her lips.

Buffy couldn't let them kill her or take her to the master. She wasn't about to let Faith become the play toy to these two monsters. Gripping her stake firmly she threw it at Drusilla and then grabbed Faith's arm and ran. She didn't look back, but did hear wood snapping.

"I'll torture her for you, Dru."

"I want her eyes; think master will let me have them?"

Buffy tried running faster, but someone grabbed her and yanked her away from Faith. She looked up to see Spike grinning, vamp face in place.

"I'm going to teach you the meaning of crazy." He hissed as he grabbed her neck and yanked her toward him. He held her pushed up against him, when Buffy felt someone press up behind her. The other grabbed her wrists tightly. "Just a taste, Dru."


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Faith felt Buffy being ripped away from her, when Faith turned to reach for Buffy she saw that Spike had her. Drusilla grabbed Faith and threw her. Faith's leg hit a tree and she fell. She started to get up, but realized that her leg was broken. She hobbled over to see Spike and Dru holding Buffy between them. "No," Faith gasped. She started to run despite her pain, when she heard a howl. She watched as Oz ran past her and tackled Spike.

Dru tried to pull Buffy with her, but Pike jumped out of the bushes and grabbed the slayer.

The pain was too much and Faith fell. She watched as Spike threw Oz off, grabbed Drusilla and ran. She looked up to see Amy and Devon reach for her. She took their arms and let them pull her up. She looked to Buffy to see the other slayer shivering.

"You have to tell her." Angel insisted.

"I know," Faith replied, "but I think she needs to know about you first."

"ME?" Angel sat up quickly, "why?"

"Spike told her that he dusted you. I think it crushed her, so she should know that we do actually have one on the vamps."

They listened as the others moved about upstairs.

"Where is the first aid kit?" Joyce was asking, "Buffy has a horrible cut of her arm."

"Faith has it in the basement." Amy replied.

"Amy," Faith called out, "send her down here I'll fix her up."

They heard the door open and someone walking down the steps. Faith stood in front Angel blocking the other slayer's view of the vampire.

"Buffy, I need to show you something and please don't be alarmed, but after tonight you need to know."

"Know what?"

"What Spike said wasn't true."

"What?"

Faith stepped aside and Buffy gasped. "Angel?"

"Hello, Buffy," he smiled slightly as the slayer watched him.

Buffy looked from Faith to Angel and back, "are you two involved?"

"What? No," Faith replied. "I was just driving by the Bronze and Spike and another vampire threw him at my van."

"Why?" Buffy asked sitting down on the floor across from Angel.

"Master thought I was a waste of time, especially now that you are back."

"He tortured you?"

"No, his favorite fledges did, I was their puppy."

((The angry puppy!))

Buffy shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"You alright?" Faith asked.

"Not really every time someone references something from…I find myself flashing back."

Faith looked confused, but Angel nodded his head.

"It's the drug withdraw, I heard Giles talking about it earlier. Your memories are confused, mixed up. You can't tell what's real and what is part of the fantasy."

Buffy nodded her head. She looked up to see Faith wring out a rag. The other slayer leaned over and began cleaning Buffy's wound.

"They haven't returned?" Xander asked as he entered the master's chamber. Willow was sprawled on the master's throne as the master paced.

"I sent Spike and Drusilla to make sure." The master replied. "But there has been no word."

"And the sun is rising," Willow added stating the obvious.

"Bloody hell!" They heard Spike explain from the other room. "Dru, it's dislocated."

"I want to play doctor." Drusilla insisted.

Xander leaned out the doorway and watched as Drusilla grabbed Spike's arm. Spike roared as Drusilla snapped the limb back into place. Xander walked over and looked Spike up and down.

"Wolf?"

"Two bloody slayers, a wolfie, and her white knight," Drusilla replied as she twirled into the master's room.

Xander reached up and touched the blood dripping down Spike's cheek. "Yours or hers?"

"Mine," Xander slipped the bloodied finger into his mouth, "we had her Dru and I right between us. Bloody stupid wolf tackled me; clawed up my back."

"Aww, poor baby," Xander and Spike glanced up to see Willow in the doorway. "Willow can make it all better."

The master watched as the four vampires started for the back of the Bronze. He stared at Xander and then turned and grabbed the transcript. There had to be clue in there.

Pike was sleeping on the couch when Buffy finally left the basement. She was exhausted; she entered the living room and saw him. Not knowing where else to sleep and not wanting to return to the basement she laid down next to him. She closed her eyes and dreamed about Faith and Angel kissing as Pike asked her to stake someone.

Faith glanced over at Angel. He was staring at her intently.

"What?"

"You have to tell her about Xander and Willow. The master won't let you get away with your success."

"It'll kill her."

"Maybe, maybe her friend from LA and her parents will keep her grounded. Either way she has to know."

"I know," she sighed, "at least I'll have a way to help her if the knowledge does crack her."

"What?"

"Section six."


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Drusilla lay next to Xander tracing imaginary lines on his bare chest and singing to herself.

"What trap?" He asked as he listened to her.

"The cat traps the mouse," she replied as though it were obvious. She made a small cut under his collar bone and licked the blood that pooled. "And you're the kitten."

"And what does the kitten want?" Spike asked as he stretched next to Xander.

"The trembling mouse, of course," she replied with wicked grin.

* * *

Buffy awoke with Pike's arms wrapped around her. She could hear Faith in the other room talking to someone on the phone. 

"No, she's not allowed out this weekend, she may have to come here." The slayer sighed. "I know what I promised, but we have bigger problems here. Look I'm sorry about running out like I did, no, no, I have to go. I'll call later tonight. Yeah, sorry to wake you, love you, bye."

Buffy heard a cell phone snap shut. What was that about was Faith a mom? Buffy slid out of Pike's arms and walked into the kitchen where Faith was now nursing a cup of coffee.

"Friend or foe?" Buffy asked.

"Friend," Faith replied.

Buffy glanced at the clock it was only 2 p.m. "Do they all sleep all day?"

"Mostly, Angel's reading, Jenny and Wesley are shopping, and Oz took the van to the mechanic with Devon."

"Oh."

"Buffy, I need to tell you something, I should have told you before, but..well, I really don't have a good excuse."

"What?" Buffy asked as she sat across from Faith.

"Xander and Willow," Faith watched with worry as Buffy's eyes lit up. "They're here in Sunnydale."

"Where? Why didn't you tell me?"

"They live at the Bronze with the master."

"He'll kill them, why would you leave them there?"

"No, they live _**with** _the master as in he was the one who sired them."

Buffy slid off the stool and froze. "No, no, no, no, NO! They can't be dead!"

Pike came into the room. "Buffy, what's wrong?" He tried to reach for her, but she pulled away.

"How long?"

"Buffy?" Pike asked.

"How long have you known?"

"Since I got here, Buffy, I'm sorry."

Buffy smacked Faith across the cheek. The shocked looked Faith gave Buffy was immediately mirrored by Buffy as she realized what she had done. Buffy turned, pushed past Pike and ran out the back door.

"Should I follow her?" Pike asked.

Faith simply nodded her head. She silently watched as Pike raced after the slayer. She knew only she would be able to keep up with her, but she also knew that Buffy would find a way to keep out of Faith's reach.

* * *

Pike chased Buffy clear across town. He glanced up to see a large building looming ahead, Sunnydale High School. He continued to follow her as she crossed the street and ran right up to the front doors. She stopped, he could see why. The front doors were boarded up. He slowed to a walk as he watched her rip a board off and then another. After she had pried three off, she glanced back at him and then slipped inside. Pike kept walking, once inside he paused to let his eyes adjust to the dim light before continuing after her. Pike followed her straight down the hall, she turned he followed, after about five minutes she turned the corner and out of his sight. As he came around the corner he saw a set of double doors swinging as though someone had gone through them. He glanced up to see lettering over the doors "Li rar", he slowly pushed the door open and slipped inside. She stood in the middle of the room staring at the long table in front of her. Well, it may have been long at one point now it was split in half as though someone had fallen on it hard. There was a circular desk and office to his right, to his left a cage with a metal cabinet. The cabinet's doors lay open it looked as though weapons were once kept inside. Beyond the broken table was book cases some books still sat on the shelf, others were strewn about on other shelves. Papers littered the floor with torn books. Pike was about to take another step forward when he noticed a book at his feet. The cover read 'Vampyre' it was huge. He picked it up, some pages had been torn out others had been burnt. He stuck the book under his arm and that's when Buffy spoke. 

"Had I arrived here, he would have given that to me."

Pike couldn't even think of anything to say. He wanted so bad to take her in his arms, but was afraid she'd shatter like glass.

"That night Angel would find me hand me a cross tell me he was a friend." She sounded like she was about to cry.

Pike walked over and placed the boor on the desk disturbing the thick layer of dust.

"I would have saved Willow from seizing the moment, but Jesse was still lost."

He stepped up behind her. Pike hadn't remembered a Jesse, maybe he was a friend of Faith's.

"It's not your fault," Pike whispered. "It's mine; I couldn't get you to wake up." Buffy turned and saw the tears in his eyes. "I came to see you; your eyes were so blank. They were glassy like looking in the mirror. You were so lost and I couldn't save you. That night I went hunting, I killed about twenty vamps that week." She reached up to touch his cheek. "I was doing it for you; I thought maybe you would feel it." He hadn't realized that he had closed his eyes, but now as he opened them he saw that she too had tears in her eyes. "Buffy, I loved you."

"And now that I'm crazy?"

"You're lost, not crazy," he replied as he finally hugged her.

* * *

That night Faith left for patrol as Pike and Buffy entered the house. Buffy ignored the other slayer and headed out the back door saying she needed some air. Pike stayed in the kitchen giving Buffy her space. Faith handed Giles and Wesley walkie-talkies to keep in touch. After Faith left, the household broke into groups to also patrol. Giles led Devon, Larry, Jonathan and Amy out as Oz led Wesley, Tara, Owen and Hank out. Hank had insisted that if he were to allow his daughter to stay then he would want to know exactly what she was facing. Jenny led Joyce into the basement where Angel was going to teach Jenny and Buffy's mom some Tai Chi to relax her. 

Faith had been out for over two hours and hadn't found a single vampire, something was wrong. Her walkie-talkie beeped, she pressed the volume button; she heard growling and then Owen spoke. "Faith, the cemeteries are quiet."

Faith pressed the button. "Owen, what about Giles?"

"He's down by Willy's, says even the bar was empty of vamps."

"Bartender speak?" Faith asked.

"No, he's said no vamps had been there in days."

"Head home, something feels off, Faith out."

Faith clipped it to her belt and ran. She hated gut feelings, they were almost always bad.

* * *

Buffy sat in the backyard staring up at the sky. She was trying to meditate to clear her mind. She was going to mentally start over; clear away all her fantasies and fears. She had just closed her eyes, when she felt someone standing next to her. 

"Pike, I told you I need some time."

"Take all the time you need, I'll wait." She froze that wasn't Pike's voice.

She opened her eyes, black boots, black jeans, white shirt, black leather jacket; can't be Angel he was inside. Her eyes finally climbed to the face. Her eyes widened as her jaw opened ready to fall off.

"Can I sit?"

"You're dead." She replied.

"Am I or is that what the slayer told you?"

"I'm a slayer."

"Well, who do you believe the bitch who stole your life or your best guy friend?"

((You're just like one of the girls, except you're a boy. You're my Xander shaped friend.))

"Why are you here, Xander?"

"To see you, how are you? I've been meaning to visit."

"Why didn't you? Or is the sun too bright for you?"

"Harsh words for someone dressed like a rainbow." He gestured toward her rainbow striped jacket.

"Better than the wannabe William the Bloody look."

He shrugged. "So what do you think of the real Sunnydale?"

"What do you mean by that?" Then she remembered what Spike had the other night. "There isn't a real difference. Vampires, demons; more things I have to kill."

He smirked.

"So did your boss send you, or did you come on your own?"

"Both, I wanted to see you."

"Why?"

"You think you know us all so well, I wanted to see if it was true?"

"And?"

"And all I see in a weaponless scared little girl."

It was true she was weaponless, but then how was she to know that a vampire would actually find her here.

"So how did you know where to look?"

He sniffed the air, "dog boy isn't the only one with a good nose."

Buffy didn't bother to glance at the house at night they had been keeping the lights off the discourage vamps.

"So do I meet your expectations?"

"Yeah, but I really want to taste who you are." He vamped out, his face shifting confirming what Faith had told her.

She couldn't stop herself from jumping up, but he grabbed her jacket to stop her from running.

"No one's lived in that house for years you won't find anything there." He told her as he yanked her toward him.

* * *

Faith arrived at the house, burst through the door and found Pike sipping from a cup at the dining room table. "Where's Buffy?" 

"Out back meditating."

Faith grabbed Pike, ripped him from the chair and pulled him out the door. They ran around the house to the back. There they saw Buffy struggling with vampire that neither Faith nor Pike recognized. Before they could help, Buffy grabbed the tail of the leather jacket the vamp wore and tugged. He spun as she ripped it right off him and managed not to destroy the coat.

"I may be mistaken, but in my mind this coat belonged to a 250 year old vampire, you were turned 240 years too late for this to be yours."

"Keep it it's a souvenir of the dusty remains of Angelus. Not that it matters you won't live long enough to wear it."

Buffy rolled the coat up and tossed it in Pike's direction. The coat landed at his feet. He pulled a stake from his back pocket and saw Faith already clutched hers. They watched as the vampire lunged for Buffy, but Buffy stepped aside. She turned and kicked the vampire. He growled and reached for her, she grabbed his arm swung it around him and pressed it up against its back until they all heard an audible crack. The vampire screamed.

"Bitch."

"See that's how I know you're not my Xander. He would have known that I'm just as deadly without a stake as I am with one." She shoved him away from her hard. "Go back to your master, tell him to stop reading. I'm not that slayer, I'm worse and I'm coming after him for destroying the people I loved."

"I don't know you." Xander hissed.

"No, you never had a chance. You never will."


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

They all watched as the vampire clutched his broken arm to his chest, glared at them each before turning and running. Buffy watched him go and then sunk to the ground. Pike ran to her and lifted her.

"He's dead, he's really dead." Buffy cried into Pike's chest.

"I'm sorry." He held Buffy as Faith did a quick sweep of the yard.

"Clear," Faith spoke as she neared them. She glanced at Buffy, who was now looking at her.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Hitting you."

"I deserved it," Faith shrugged.

"No, you didn't."

Faith smiled, "come on, you should go to bed, we can talk more tomorrow."

Faith led them into the house. She left them and went down to the basement.

Pike carried Buffy to the couch in the living room. He laid her on the couch and then reached into his bag. "After I saw you in the hospital, I realized you weren't wearing something. Something I think you really need right now." He turned back to Buffy holding a silver gothic looking cross on a silver chain.

"Where? How?" He unhooked the clasp and placed it around her neck.

"I asked your mom about it, I told her I gave it to you. Merrick gave it to you to protect you and I'm so sorry I forgot until now."

Buffy kissed him before he could add another word.

Glass shattered against a wall spraying warm blood. Lips are unconsciously licked as the liquid runs down the wall.

"How?"

"We waited too long; we should have killed her right away."

A clawed hand grasped the speaker's throat. "I told you to get her in Los Angeles and you failed, Xander, now you four are responsible for cleaning up this mess. The new factory will go in operation in one week; you are running out of time."

Buffy gasped as she awoke, her heart was pounding in her chest. Pike jumped up next to her, startled.

"Buffy, what's wrong?"

"Blood, so much blood," Buffy mumbled.

"It was just a dream." He whispered as he began to rub her back.

"Was it?"

Angel could hear rustling near him, he opened his eyes to see Faith trashing on the cot next to him. She punched the air and threw her pillow at him. He caught it, placed it on the floor and went to her. He grasped her hands. "Faith, wake up!"

She struggled against him.

"Faith, wake up!" He spoke louder.

He heard the door open above and two sets of feet coming down the stairs. Faith began to mutter in her sleep. "Kitten, blood, death, kitten failed."

"Dru, let her go!" Angel roared as his face changed. He growled.

"Pike, no, wait!" He heard Buffy yell. "He's our secret weapon." Buffy reached for Faith. Angel found himself growling at her. She raised her cross in defense. "Pike, give me your cross."

Buffy had a cross in her hand she held it out at Angel. He fell back growling at her. She then placed it on Faith's chest as she hugged the slayer tightly.

Faith was fighting a vampire it was an endless struggle they were so evenly matched. She could hear whispers all around her. "Kitten, blood, death, kitten failed, you shall fail, SECRET WEAPON, cross, blood." Suddenly the vampire melted into a pool of blood, no she was standing in a pool of blood. A vat of blood, she began to sink, she freaked and tried to swim, but she kept sinking. The blood was covering her face, she swam. Her vision glazed over red, she hit a wall. No, not a wall, glass, she was in a tank of blood; she saw the master and Spike and Drusilla watching her. They all raised glasses filled to the top with blood. Xander entered with Buffy in cuffs.

"FAITH!"

"Buffy!"

"FAITH!"

"Buffy, no!"

"Faith, wake up!"

"Wake up!"

Faith blinked and saw Pike above her, Angel to her left in game face. Buffy was hugging her.

"I'm awake." Faith whispered.

Buffy let her go slowly. "What did you see?"

"I'm sorry." Faith whispered.

"Faith…"

Faith cut Buffy off, "I'm sorry for lying to you. I should have come clean right away."

"No," Buffy shook her head. "It would have shattered me."

"What did you see?" Angel asked.

"Blood, I was swimming in it."

"Buffy, what was your dream about?" Pike asked.

"You?" Faith asked.

"I was in the hospital and walls were bleeding. Willow and Drusilla came to me; they were going to braid my hair when the room changed into a swimming pool of blood."

"What does it mean?" Pike asked.

"The master is rebuilding the factory." Angel answered.

"Or already has." They all turned to see Oz and Larry standing on the steps.

"We found Willy." Larry explained.

"What, how?" Faith asked.

"At dawn we went out, I was at the coffee shop getting a paper and there he was waiting for us." Oz spoke.

"He said he wanted out of the town and he wanted our help." Larry added. "We told him, we weren't in the mood for games. And Oz growled a lot, and he spilled."

Oz looked directly at Faith and then shifted his eyes to Buffy. As he spoke is eyes shifted between the two. "Willy said that the reason the master waited until now to go after Buffy is because the factory is almost finished and he didn't want to risk you getting in the way."

Buffy sighed deeply, looked down at the wooden cross in her hand and threw it. The cross hit the wall and shattered splinters fell about. "Bastard."

"So," Faith spoke, "want to go out tonight?"

Buffy smirked, "where else do the vampires like to party at?"

* * *

(Well, sorry about the wait, but the next one will be even longer. I'm going away for 6 weeks and am not taking the disk that holds this story with -don't want to lose it. Enjoy, review, & see you in Aug.) 


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

"Absolutely not," Joyce yelled.

"Mom, I'm the slayer, it's my sacred duty to go out and kill vampires."

"But not at a vampire club, you've only been out twice and twice you've nearly been killed."

"Mom, Pike and Devon are going too, and I'll be with Faith the whole time. Plus," Buffy showed her mom the cross around her neck, the cross on her belt buckle, and the stakes in her waistband and tucked under her pant legs. "I'm more heavily secure than a soldier in war."

"Don't worry, Mrs. Summers, we're just going to shake things up and leave." Faith added.

Even Giles and Jenny were looking at Faith skeptically.

Wesley smiled, "Faith," he handed her an envelope, "be back in two hours."

"Yes, sir," she took the envelope and pulled Buffy out the door after her.

"Pike, take care of her." Joyce spoke as Devon grabbed their coats and ran after the girls.

"Promise, Mrs. Summers."

"No, booze either," Hank warned.

But Faith had already grabbed Pike by the back of his shirt and yanked him out the door.

* * *

Once they were out of ear shot Faith muttered, "you can't promise no booze." 

Buffy giggled.

"So what's in the envelope?" Devon asked.

"Lick me," Faith replied.

"What?"

She held out temporary tattoos of crosses. "I thought it was hokey the first time I tried them, but if you believe in it, it works."

"So where am I putting it?" Devon asked.

Faith stopped under a street lamp and took her jacket off. The shirt she wore stopped above her navel, she pointed to the bare skin on her back, looking at it made Devon salivate. He leaned over and licked her lower back, removed the plastic from the tattoo and then placed the tattoo on her back. After waiting the appropriate amount of time he removed the paper and smiled at the perfect red and black gothic cross.

"Your turn, B," Faith spoke.

Buffy smiled as she also removed her jacket to reveal her backless shirt. She shivered slightly as Pike licked her back between her shoulder blades. She caught Faith's eyes and realized the real reason the other slayer had suggested the tattoos. She felt Pike peeling away the paper.

"All done," he spoke as he blew on the tattoo to make it dry faster.

"How's it look?" She asked.

"Perfect," he replied.

Faith linked arms with Buffy, "come on, we're wasting time."

Buffy leaned into Faith, "you set that up, didn't you?"

"Not completely, it really does work, but you two needed a push. We are in battle things happen, you need a rock something to lean on and push from; he should be it."

Buffy smiled, "thank you."

* * *

The Bronze is in the west part of Sunnydale. When the vampires took over the town under the lead of the master, the owners of the Bronze let the master take it, and they moved to the east side and started another club Silver. Sure silver didn't hurt vampires, but it does hurt werewolves and a few other demons. The whole club was covered in silver accents, chairs, tables, pool cues. Due to those specialties Oz stayed away from the club, Amy, Nancy and Larry had visited once, but they didn't find it useful to hunt there. Buffy, Faith, Devon and Pike walked up to the door presented their Ids and paid the cover. 

"Oh, I love this band!" Devon exclaimed as they entered.

"Little too S&M for me," Faith replied, pointing at the bands mates' leather outfits and spiked collars.

"Nah, that's part of the stage show." Pike replied, "they're decent." He took Buffy's hand and led her out to the dance floor. Faith and Devon followed. Faith and Buffy linked hands and danced back to back with Devon and Pike facing them. The guys grasped the girls' hips as they grasped them back with their free hand. Faith placed her hand over Devon's butt and Buffy cupping her hand around the back of Pike's neck. The band started a new song with drums thumping giving the girls something to dance to, seeing as they were the only ones on the floor dancing. Buffy saw the lead guitarist staring at her, she pulled Pike closer and kissed him. Faith scanned the club as she and Devon danced, all eyes were on them. She counted at least seven vampires. Faith smiled as she leaned closer to Buffy and whispered it to her.

Buffy smirked, "time to play already?"

"I'm going to get some drinks," Pike suggested, reading Faith's lips. He and Devon departed with Buffy and Faith's jackets. The girls wagged their fingers at the vampires watching them.

"Ready?" Faith asked.

"Always," Buffy replied as the vampires drew closer.

As the vampires were only inches from them, Buffy and Faith drew their stakes slowly from each others back pockets.

"Hey," Faith spoke, "wanna party?"

"Absolutely," he replied.

"Good," Buffy replied, "cause so do we." On the 'we' the girls stabbed the two vampires in the hearts with their stakes.

"Anyone else want to party?" Faith asked the room of shocked vampires.

Three rushed at them. Buffy slid her foot out and tripped the first one as she staked another. Faith kicked the one who rushed at her. Buffy turned to the one on the floor and slammed the stake home, as Faith staked hers. The remaining vampires started to head for the exit, but Pike and Devon were standing in the holding crosses.

"Sorry, boys, the girls insist on a party." Pike said as he burned the face of one vamp with his cross.

The vampire turned back and growled. "The master will kill you."

"What you don't want a piece?" Buffy asked. "And here I thought I was going to have some fun tonight. I guess that's what I get for picking on flunkies."

An offended vamp growled and rushed her only to have his head cut off as Buffy whipped an axe out from under her skirt. She had it strapped to her right leg. Faith grabbed a vamp and threw it across the room.

The bartender watched the chaos and smiled, finally someone was taking care of the vampires in his club. He saw the band had stopped and was frozen in fear. He jumped over the bar, shoved a vampire onto the brunette's stake and went up to the stage.

"What are you doing I'm paying you to play?"

The singer covered the mic and whispered. "Those men are exploding."

"Yeah, and those girls need you to keep playing, "so play!" He yelled.

The bassist looked to the drummer who started a beat.

Faith whooped as the band started up again. Devon glanced over at Pike.

"Interesting night, huh?"

"Better than the shoe store," Pike agreed as he rammed the end of the cross into a vampire's chest.

* * *

Xander banged on the front door of Silver. The door was locked, but they were always open on Thursdays. 

"They're checking us off." Dru spoke.

"The slayers are in there?" Spike asked.

Dru nodded her head.

"Up here," Willow yelled.

They all looked up to see her standing on the roof.

Spike joined her and looked down into the skylight. Sure enough there were the slayers having a dusty fun time. Spike stood and kicked the glass.

Buffy had just beheaded another vamp when glass began raining down. She spun out of the way as a figure dropped down from above. She wasted no time and tried to kick him. She was blocked as he grabbed her ankle.

"Hello, luv," Spike spoke.

Faith glanced around all the vamps were dust but the one holding Buffy's ankle. A figure dropped down from the ceiling next to him.

"Willow?" Buffy whispered.


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

"Willow?" Buffy whispered.

Buffy thought she would be okay with seeing Willow like this, but now she wasn't so sure. She jumped and kicked Spike with her other foot to get free. He let go in surprise. She stepped back as Willow stepped closer to Spike and put her arm around his waist.

She nuzzled into him, "bored now, want to play."

Buffy watched as Willow vamped. Seeing that face pulled Buffy out of it. She punched Willow in the face.

"Ow, no fair!" Willow whimpered. She lunged for Buffy as Spike spun around to see Faith, Pike and Devon watching them.

* * *

Xander helped Dru up onto the roof. He was about to jump in and join the fun when Drusilla stopped him. 

"Dru?"

"Let them play, we should go looking for the pack."

"The pack?"

"The wolf's pack."

Xander smiled, "good idea, Dru." Xander licked her lips and she kissed him. He pulled a phone from his back pocket and dialed as Dru continued to kiss him. He pulled away as Dru roamed his neck with her tongue and teeth.

"Get the gun and nets and meet us at Restfield, we're going hunting."

* * *

Oz, Tara, Larry, Hank and Wesley decided to patrol that night. They were having a fairly successful night. A few vamps here and there, but there didn't seem to be any real trouble. They were thinking about calling it a night, when they heard a woman singing. Oz growled as they neared the small playground in the park. There on a swing was Drusilla. 

"Round an' round you chase them. But is who is the prey and who is the hunter, Round an' round you chase them." She was still swinging when she saw her company. She looked at each of them and stopped on Oz. "Aww, puppy, look the puppy is here." She whistled.

Oz glared rather annoyed.

"Hisst, bad puppy, doesn't matter mummy has a treat."

Tara fired her crossbow, but Dru caught the bolt and threw it back. Tara was struck in the arm. Wesley stepped in front of Tara as Xander yelled, "now!" A net was dropped on the group. Oz fought his way out of it as he changed. He freed himself and lunged at Xander, but a nearby vampire shot a tranquilizer dart at Oz. He went down.

Tires squeaked as a van pulled up suddenly next to them, Amy was at the wheel and Nancy was leaning out the window with a crossbow in hand.

"Back away or you're dust!" Nancy yelled at the vamps.

Xander grabbed a near by vampire and threw him at Nancy. As Nancy fired another vampire began shooting tranquilizers at the group. Xander grabbed the unconscious wolf and ran with Drusilla following. The rest of the vampire began attacking the group. No one saw Xander and Drusilla leave.

* * *

Spike smirked at the group, "hello, slayer, whelps." 

They glared at him. Faith stepped forward.

"Sorry, luv, we're here for her."

"Why have one when you can have two?" Faith asked.

Spike smirked, but Willow's howl in pain made him turn.

Buffy and Willow were fighting. Willow grabbed Buffy by the arm and threw her. Buffy recovered and ran toward the vampire, but Willow dodged and grabbed Spike.

"Sun!" They heard Willow yell as the vampires jumped up through the skylight and disappeared.

"Buffy?" Faith asked.

"I want to go home." Buffy whispered as Pike ran to her.

* * *

Joyce opened the door as Hank carried Tara in followed by everyone else. 

"Take her down stairs," Wesley commanded. As Hank ran from the room Wesley turned to the group. "Where's Oz?"

Everyone froze.

* * *

The master entered the basement hearing noises coming from Angelus' cage. 

"Shh, puppy, you'll wake granddaddy, puppy, shh!"

"Too late," the master replied as he saw Xander and Drusilla standing in front of the locked cage. Someone was chained up in Angelus' place.

Xander turned and grinned. "He's not exactly the slayer, but he is their leader." He spoke as he stepped aside so the master could see.

The master smiled, "well, this is better; I think you two may have actually redeemed yourselves."

"Goodie, granddaddy, can I keep him?" Drusilla asked.

The master leaned over and kissed Drusilla's forehead.

"As long as you get some information out of him, yes, you can."

"Did you hear that, puppy?" Xander asked. "Dru's, gonna take good care of you."

Oz glared up at them, he struggled to stand for the drug still ran in his veins. He fell to his knees unable to support himself. His head dropped, looking down he realized he was naked. He looked back up glaring at the three vampires.

Drusilla giggled as she opened the cage door and entered. "Miss Edith told me about you, puppy. You and the witch, don't worry my Spike will take care of her."

Oz jumped and tackled Drusilla. He wrestled her under him and used the chains to try and strangle her. As Xander tried to help Dru, Oz kicked the cell door closed locking Xander out. Drusilla giggled, "bad puppy, you shall get no treats tonight." She vamped and bit into Oz's arm and began to drink. Oz screamed in pain and loosened the chain. Drusilla wriggled away as a dart was shot into Oz's back. He groaned and crumbled.

"Dru, I think you should wait before having tea with the wolf." Xander spoke holding the gun.

Dru licked the bite mark and then stepped out of the cage. She kissed Xander giving him a taste of the werewolf's blood. "Okay."

"You can have him; Drusilla, but first let Xander and Spike get their information. Then he'll be all yours." The master told her as he left the room.

* * *

Buffy, Pike, Devon and Faith arrived home just after dawn to find Tara crying on Angel's shoulder on the couch in the living room. Buffy had been so freaked out by the meeting with Willow that she had fallen asleep in Pike arms. He carried her upstairs as Faith and Devon tried to find out what had happened. Faith was stopped in the doorway by Giles who led her into the kitchen. 

"What happened?" She asked looking from Giles to Hank to Wesley and finally to Amy.

"We were attacked." Hank replied. Before Faith could open her mouth he continued. "They came out of no where, large group of them. They threw net on us and Oz he changed and tried to protect us. By the time the dust had cleared…"

"Drusilla and Xander were gone and so was Oz." Amy finished.

Faith sighed as she sat on the empty stool next to her. "They won't kill him; they'll use him for information." She swore she could almost hear Oz screaming in pain and terror. She had read all about Spike and Drusilla in Wesley's watcher's diaries. They were both vicious animals in their own way. "Is there an easy way into the Bronze?"

"Oz wouldn't want you to s-sacrifice yourself f-for him." They all turned to see Tara standing in the doorway with Angel.

"We can't leave him there." Faith replied.

"No, but we can kill those vampires. W-we can go and burn the p-place down."

"Whoa, slow down girl, we will, but we all need sleep and a plan." Faith replied. "Angel?"

"Come on, Tara," he helped the injured girl out of the room.

"She's right, you know." Giles spoke softly.

"I know, but I also know that they have Oz and we can't just burn it down with him inside. We need Buffy to be mentally stable." She pulled out her cell phone and began to dial.

"Plan B?" Wesley asked.

"I have to, she'll hate me, but I have to."


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Ben put down the phone and sighed. They had planned to go see a movie tonight, he had been promising her for weeks. He got gotten a two week vacation and he was going to spend all his time with her. She's going to be so disappointed. She already hated that she had to be separated from her sister. He slowly climbed the stairs to her room, entered and reached under her bed to find her suitcase. The one that was always kept packed in case of an emergency. The one he told her to throw out the window in case of a fire or to keep handy just in case her sister called. He took the case, placed it on her bed and opened it. He checked to make sure there were enough clothes, that she had all her toiletries and her magic supplies. He closed it satisfied and then went to his room; he pulled out his case and a second bag of weapons. He then took all three down stairs and placed them by the door. He then picked up the phone again and dialed.

"Hello, I'd like two tickets to Sunnydale, California."

She was going to be so mad. He was just as upset; he really wanted to see that movie too.

* * *

Oz remembered reading Giles' watcher books; he had a right to be afraid right now. He sat still as he waited for more pain. Xander was definitely having fun, but Oz refused to give him the satisfaction of screaming. He remained silent gritting his teeth. Xander must have been at it for over an hour. 

"You're doing it wrong." Both Xander and Oz looked up to see Willow and Spike standing in the doorway.

Oz pulled away from Xander and tried to back himself into the corner, but Drusilla was too fast. "No, Spike's turn." She whined as though someone wasn't playing fair.

Oz punched Dru, but before he could raise his fist again Spike was there ripping Drusilla out of the way.

"Dru, babe, why don't you and Will get some sleep. I'll make the dog sing."

Drusilla clapped her hands and waltzed over to Willow. "The puppy will sing and the moon will bleed into my tea."

"That's right, baby." Spike purred.

As Dru tugged Willow out of the basement, Spike set to work. Dru danced across the Bronze's old dance floor pulling Willow with her as screams floated up from below.

"See, Spike always makes them sing. I told you."

* * *

Angel awoke the next day still on the couch with Tara wrapped around him. He blinked and saw Faith sitting across from him. She pressed her fingers to her lips. He froze and waited. 

"I called in help for Buffy. Sure she has Pike, but she needs someone more stable, someone she wouldn't expect." Faith spoke in barely a whisper.

"Your sister," Angel whispered.

"She's more than that, she's powerful. She transcends dimensions, she can help. I've kept her hidden for too long. She probably hates me for that."

"I assume there's more?"

"Yeah, she's coming with her guardian, a man I trust dearly. He was once possessed by a hell god; he comes with his own type of magic."

"A hell god?"

"Long story."

Angel glanced down at Tara, "I have time."

"Ye-ah, but if I tell it little sis will get mad. She loves to tell it, especially cause she gets to insult me at the same time."

Angel smiled.

* * *

Devon passed by the room where Pike and Buffy went, to see Buffy sound asleep, but Pike was a wake. He was holding her and stroking her hair. Devon felt for the guy, he knew how much Pike loved her. Ever since he met Pike she was all he ever talked about. 

After the high school burnt to the ground and Buffy was committed Pike was a wreck. He went out every night on his own and hunted. Even though he had hoped, maybe even prayed, that somehow magically or psychically Buffy would be able to feel him fighting for her. He visited her twice a week for a year. Always on days when her parents couldn't make it so that they didn't see him or know that he was there. Then one day he had only left her room to go to the bathroom, when he returned a strange man was standing over her.

"Who are you?" Pike asked.

The man turned, he was dressed in a suit, similar to Merrick's tastes. Pike's eyes widened when saw the needle in the man's hand as he stuck it into her IV.

"You're not a doctor, what are you doing?"

As the man pulled the needle and out started to leave, Buffy's monitor started to scream.

Pike ran and threw him against the wall; the man kneed Pike and escaped. Nurses and doctors began to flood the room. Some looked at him accusingly as other set to work.

"Her heart's stopped!" A nurse yelled.

"What happened?" Another yelled.

Pike watched as an orderly picked up the needle the strange man had dropped. The orderly looked at Pike, but Pike was still trying to breathe through the pain.

"It wasn't him," a nurse offered, "security was chasing someone down the hall."

Buffy's heart stopped, but Pike couldn't do it anymore. As soon as she was awake she began mumbling about Xander and Angel. He couldn't listen to her talk about imaginary people anymore, not while he was right there loving her.

He continued to fight to hunt. That's how Devon met him, Devon had barely escaped Sunnydale, he had moved to L.A. in search of safety and a job. He was at a bar one night a vampire tried hitting on him. So he took her out back to stake her but she had friends. They attacked; he would have been dead, if it weren't for Pike. Two of them had just bitten into his neck when he heard the noise of a dusting. The bitches were ripped off him and staked. He awoke the next morning in Pike's apartment. They have been friends ever since. It took Pike nearly three months before he trusted Devon enough to tell him about Buffy, his vampire slayer. When Buffy entered the shoe store where the two were working, he watched as Pike's eyes lit up for the first time ever. Devon prayed that Buffy wouldn't let Pike down. She meant too much to him.

Devon closed the door to the room and moved on down the hall to check on Buffy's parents. Someone had to keep the group's morale up and since he wasn't tied to anyone, but Pike Devon appointed himself the group's guardian.

"Devon?"

He turned to see Nancy and Amy watching him from the doorway of another room.

"Ladies, how can I help you?"

"We want to help you." Nancy spoke.

"Oh?"

"What do you know about magic?" Amy asked.

"Not much, why?"

"We need someone who isn't emotionally connected to Oz, to connect to him magically." Nancy spoke.

"And how will this help me?"

Nancy smiled, "it'll give you something to do, since you don't have a honey to hug."

Devon sighed, "lead the way."

* * *

Oz lay in the cell finally alone. His throat was raw from screaming, but that was the least of his injuries. He shivered; they hadn't given him anything to wear. Why they left him alone he didn't know, since he knew it…it was around noon. 'Stupid', he berated himself; he should have figured that the day light would sent the vamps to bed. 

_"Don't be so had on yourself."_

"Devon?" Oz asked the odd voice in his head.

_"The Wicca is making with the fun voices, so calm down. How are ya?"_

"Painful," he whispered.

_"Should be expected, where are you?"_

"Basement of the Bronze in a cage, I don't think they really want anything. I think they're just having fun."

_"Well, hold on, Tara wants to send everyone in guns a blazing."_

"Won't do any good, the only ones here are Spike, Drusilla, Xander and Willow; the master left for his mysterious factory at dawn."

_"No location?"_

"No clue, the others haven't brought it up."

_"Hold tight, we'll come as soon as we can."_

"Don't waste your time; find out where the factory is that should be your priority."

Oz had his eyes closed while he was talking to Devon. Suddenly hands slapped the side of his head and he felt Drusilla enter his mind.

"Bad puppy, rrruf, your prince will pay the pauper."

* * *

Everything was going well, when unexpectedly Devon screamed out in pain. Amy and Nancy tried to end the spell, but he wouldn't stop screaming. Jenny who had been observing from the corner rushed forward, broke the circle and began to chant.

* * *

Faith entered Jenny's bedroom to see Devon lying still on the bed. 

"Is he dead?"

"No," Jenny spoke, "he's in a magically induced coma."

"We were trying to communicate with Oz, when Drusilla attacked."

Giles was lighting a stick of incense and began chanting.

"What is he doing?" Faith asked.

"Protecting him from another attack," Jenny replied.

"Why didn't you tell me he was doing this?" Faith asked.

"You couldn't have helped, he was aware of the risks." Nancy told her.

"No," Giles spoke as he rested a hand on Devon's head. "The risks would never be this severe, Drusilla did this. She alone is responsible."

"Is there anyway to wake him up?" Faith asked.

"Get Drusilla to reverse it, to let him go."

"You'll have to kill her," they all turned to see Angel in the doorway. "Drusilla will torture him like Spike is torturing Oz. We'll just have to kill them."

"How will she torture him?" Amy asked.

"She'll make Buffy's nightmares look like a dream."

"Looks like we'll have to go rescue Oz right away after all," Faith spoke.


	21. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

The room is dimly lit; curtains open to reveal two characters sitting at a table with a tea set before them. One is a man the other is a doll the size of a young girl. The man picked up his cup and toasted with the doll. She smiled and he listened as a voice spoke to him from no where.

"Miss Edith thanks you for coming to tea."

He nodded his head and took a sip. As he placed the cup down he saw that there was blood in it.

"What is your name so that Miss Edith can tell her mummy?"

"Devon, except I don't know how I got here. I was a witch. No, I was with a, two witches." But he doesn't sound so sure.

A woman enters and kneels next to Devon; she pushes her long hair away from her face and smiles.

"May I take a seat?" She asks her voice is the same as the one from earlier.

"Of course," Devon tells her as she sits next to him.

"You're not a witch."

"No, I am supposed to be looking for someone."

"Well, you found me does that suit you?"

"I guess it should."

"Good," she leaned over and kissed him.

* * *

Spike entered the basement to see Drusilla hunched over the wolf as he screamed in pain.

"I found them like this an hour ago." He turned to see Xander in the shadows.

"So why didn't you pull them apart!"

"She told me not to. She's tormenting the wolf and whoever tried to mentally help him."

"Well, looks like we got a two for one deal."

"Master wants you and I down at the factory. What about Dru?"

"Willow will watch her."

* * *

"The old factory."

"Huh?" Jenny turned around from the book she was studying to Devon's still form. His eyes were still closed, but his lips were moving.

"Have to go for tea, the old factory and me." He whispered.

Jenny ran from the room, down the steps and into the dining room where Faith and Buffy were setting up a battle plan with their watchers.

"Jenny, what's wrong?" Giles asked.

"So stupid, Devon said." She spoke in between gasps.

Giles moved toward her.

"The tea factory outside town, that's where the master will be."

"How?" Buffy asked.

"Devon told me, I think he can hear what's going on around Oz."

"Or he tapped into her." Wesley added.

"Well, then that's what we'll have to do. Buffy will go to the Bronze and I'll go to the factory." Faith spoke.

Buffy glanced at Faith in worry. Before she could voice her fear, Faith cell rang.

* * *

She had every right to be mad. Her sister hadn't talked to her in over a month. And, now, she is getting on a plane, because big sis finally needs her.

"Nervous?" Ben asked.

"Pissed."

"Never mind, she has a good reason."

"What?"

"I have no idea; I was just trying to be helpful."

She laid her head back. "Wake me when we land." She spoke as she buckled herself in.

A figure ran through the cemetery chasing hunting searching. She tackled a vampire and they fought. Behind her scenes began playing out, the girl drowning. The woman was kissing a vampire, later fighting the same vampire. The vampire was then sucked into a portal. Next soldiers appeared; one stood out and kissed the woman. But he soon faded, a new vampire with bleached blonde hair appeared. Then Dracula appeared and faded. Suddenly the woman was hugging her. "_It's Summers blood."_

"No!" She tried to jump up, but the seatbelt kept her firmly in place.

"Dawn?"

"Ben, where are we?"

"On the airplane, we have an hour to go. What happened?" He asked as he waved for a flight attendant.

"Can I help you, sir?"

"Yes, can I get a diet coke with ice for my sister?"

Ben rubbed Dawn's arm, "did you have a vision?"

She nodded her head.

The flight attendant returned with the drink which Dawn took and thanked her.

"Why are we going to California, to (she lowered her voice) the other Hellmouth?"

"Your sister said she needed you to help the other slayer."

"Do you know anything else?"

He lowered his eyes.

"Ben?"

"I'm technically not supposed to tell you, but if you're supposed to help her then I think you should know." He leaned forward into his laptop bag and pulled out a manila folder. He handed it to her. "This is the information on the slayer."

Dawn opened the folder and began to read the files.

"Summers? Buffy Summers."

"_It's Summers blood."

* * *

_

"I need someone to drive me to the airport at 3." Faith spoke as she closed the phone.

"Why?" Buffy asked.

"Reinforcements," Faith simply replied.

"I can take you," Wesley spoke.

"You sure?"

He nodded his head.

Angel entered the room. "I want to help, I'm sick of hiding out here."

"You are helping by staying here and protecting Devon, Jenny and Buffy's mom." Faith told him. "Tonight Larry, Hank and Amy are going with me to the factory to scope things out, while Owen, Jonathan, Buffy, Giles and Nancy go to the factory for Oz."

Larry and Jonathan entered the room at hearing their names.

"So weapons all around?" Jonathan asked.

Faith nodded her head.

Larry smiled.

Faith crinkled her brow confused, "what?"

"They have a blow torch that they have been wanting to try out." Giles spoke.

"Oh, yes, weapons," Faith replied. She moved over closer to Angel. "How's Tara?"

"She wants to go with tonight; I told her it would be better if she just stayed."

"Does she sound rational?"

"I won't let her go, unless I'm allowed to go."

"I can't risk it, I need you to stay and protect my sister." She whispered.

"She has something to do with Buffy right?"

"Yeah, and she's going to hate me for it."

* * *

"Bitch."

"Dawn!"

"Well, she is, what did she expect me to just go there and suddenly fix this girl's problems. I'm not a doctor or a witch, or even a witch doctor."

"I think she wants you to help by just being there."

"Everyone please buckle your seat belts we will be landing shortly. Thank you for flying…"

"Well, here goes." Ben sighed. "Sunny hellmouthy California."

"Yippee," Dawn sarcastically commented. She grasped Ben's hand as the plane began its descent. "I hate this part," she muttered between clenched teeth.

Ben smiled and gripped her hand back.

As Dawn grabbed her last piece of luggage from the carousel, a police officer came toward her with a sniffing dog.

"Abscondoolfacio," Dawn muttered as she waved her hand over her bag.

When the dog got to her, he sniffed and then continued on his way.

"I saw that," Dawn jumped, but then glared when she saw Ben behind her smirking.

She playfully slapped his shoulder, "You scared the crap out of me."

He grabbed one of her bags and they started toward the main exit to look for Faith. "You're getting better."

"Oh, that was easy, just obscuring the scent of the herbs in the bag. You never know what's contraband and what's not."

"Good point, I think I see your sister."

Dawn looked up to see Faith standing with her watcher Wesley and another man. He looked so, oh god!

Faith ran up and hugged her sister. "I'm sorry for ruining your weekend."

"Why did you bring a vampire?" Dawn asked as her sister released her.

People nearby turned to stare.

"Oh, no, Faith, don't tell me you…" Ben trailed off.

"Oh, no no no," she gestured at the man by her side, "this is Angel, he's a good vampire."

"Yeah, right!" Both Dawn and Ben replied.

* * *

Before dusk Buffy led her group out, Giles drove Oz's van.

"So," she spoke looking over at Giles.

"Indeed."

"Do you regret not getting to be my watcher?" She asked slowly.

"Yes, I do. If I had known…"

She cut him off. "Don't worry about it. You would have been a great watcher."

"Really?"

"Yup, so is Quentin Travers a prick in this world too."

Giles smiled. "Oh, yes, you know he actually sent his version of a SWAT team in here."

"Didn't work, huh?"

"Well, as you can see no. I suspect the master had his fun, Travers then gave up and left the town in my hands."

"How long ago was that?"

"Two years ago."

"He waited that long."

"He didn't believe this was an actual problem until after Kendra's death."

Buffy shook her head.

"Slayer's coming," Dru sang as she stepped away from Oz.

"What?" Xander asked.

She pointed up as there was a loud bang from above.

"Anybody home!" They heard a man yell.

Xander flew up the stairs in time to see the few fledges left behind go up in flames from a blow torch. Spike appeared from the shadows and Willow was standing on a pool table with a cue in her hand. There standing before them was the slayer, the great Buffy. She was flanked by three men and a woman, white hats. Willow jumped down from the table and began to twirl the cue.

"Welcome to our home, you're here for the dog right?" She asked.

* * *

Owen, Jonathan, Buffy, Giles and Nancy stood strong with Buffy in front. Buffy held a cross bow, which she let the bolt fly at Spike. He effortlessly caught it.

He laughed, "the mighty Buffy thinks she can kill me…"

Buffy cut him off, "William the Bloody with a cross bow, no, but it was worth a try, wasn't it, luv?" She smirked as Spike growled. Spike ran to her, but she wasn't about to let him catch her surprised so she ran forward and punched him. He caught her fist and swung at her. She smirked, "so it is a dance then."

"Wot?"

"You all read me so well right?" She asked and she kicked him in the crouch. He went down and Buffy used him for balance to flip over and meet Xander face to face.

"But the thing is," she kicked Spike in the back of the head as she ducked under Xander's punch and fired at Willow.

The others took the distraction and ran for the basement.

"I know you all as well."

Willow flipped off the table and swung the cue at Buffy, who flipped backward over Xander. Xander got the cue to the face as Spike leaped to his feet.

"Well, three to one." Willow spoke. "Better odds."

Buffy smirked, "but for who?" She pulled a bottle of hair spray from her back pocket.

"Oh, right, like…" Willow replied, but was interrupted by Buffy spraying her. She screamed.

Buffy spun spraying the three and then flipped out of the circle. She landed behind Willow; she grabbed her by the back of the neck and threw her. Buffy then kicked up the cue from the floor and used it to knock Xander and Spike's feet out from under them. As they landed on their backs, Buffy moved out of grasp. "Like my keen fashion sense can't save me? See back in LA before the Looney Tunes episode, I killed a master vamp. You've all heard of Lothos, right?"

* * *

Giles entered the basement first before him Drusilla was sitting in the cage with a very naked Oz and a porcelain doll.

"Miss Edith did ask for company this evening." Drusilla spoke as she turned to the rescuers.

Giles glared at her as he rushed farther into the basement with cross held up.

Dru hissed and drew closer to Oz. Oz looked up through a swollen right eye. He was very bloody, bite, burn and knife marks everywhere.

"Shouldn't have come," he spoke in a broken voice.

Dru stood and left the cage she stared at Giles.

"Don't look," Oz spoke.

"Won't need to," Owen spoke as he rushed in and punched Dru.

"Hsst, bad boy," Dru spoke as she grabbed Owen by the neck; she pulled him to her like a shield. He struggled as she licked his neck. "Tastes like honey, mummy, used to like honey, but she's molded ash." She threw Owen into the cage with Oz and slammed the door closed. Owen ran to the door, but it was locked. Giles took the distraction to tackle Dru. He wrestled her on the floor and ripped the key from the chain around her neck. He had just tossed it to Jonathan behind him, when Dru threw him off.

They heard multiple screams from above.

"Spike?" Dru asked distracted, but not distracted enough to grab Giles by the neck and hold him up. "Mummy sa…" she exploded into ash.

"Mommy says play times over," Nancy spoke as she lowered the stake. "Come on let's get the hell out of here."

Jonathan had the cage door unlocked as Nancy helped Giles off the floor. Owen unchained Oz, took his shirt off and wrapped it around Oz's hips to cover him up some.

"Nancy, Jonathan, get Oz back to the van." Giles ordered. "Owen, get Buffy, we'll meet you there."

"And what will you do?" Owen asked.

Giles pulled out the bottle of liquor from his jacket pocket. "Tara, wanted this place burned down."

Buffy fought off the three vamps using the pool cue. 'May not be Friar Tuck,' she thought, 'but that training did come in handy.' She had tried to stake them each several times, but they were too quick.

"Fire!" She heard Owen yell, just as she smelled the smoke. "Hey, Idol," Owen yelled.

Spike glared and turned. Owen threw a doll at him. Spike hadn't anticipated it so the doll hit the floor at his feet and shattered. Spike recognized it and screamed in morning. Buffy used the distraction to run. She and Owen fled with Giles behind them. They leaped into the van; Jonathan slammed the door closed as Nancy slammed on the gas. Nancy looked back out the back windows and saw Willow, Xander and Spike flee the Bronze as fire burst out the door behind them.

"And then there were three," she whispered as she turned back to the road ahead.

* * *

(Once again, Allen Pitt is my savior, I can't believe I was such an idiot, I really should know better.)   



	22. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Faith left Dawn and Ben with Angel, and then she, Larry, Hank and Amy took Wesley's car out to the old factory. They parked it a block away and walked. As they neared Faith swept the perimeter staking the guards. She entered the factory first and they made their way to the catwalks above to watch the action below. The master stood next to the machine as two vampires moved back and forth about it tinkering with it. To the left of the machine was a large fenced of area built like a cage.

"Now," the master was speaking to three vampires following him. "After dawn I want you to take the truck down route 30 to where my associate will meet you with the first batch." He chuckled. "They think they are to be extras in a movie. Direct them into the pen, at the opening tomorrow night we will use them as our first tastes."

Two of the vampires left with their orders.

"Now, Parker, what is the time of completion?" The master asked the remainder.

"We should have it up and running by tonight."

"Good, see how careful planning works? The slayer will die rescuing her dog and the other will…" he paused as sniffed the air, "well, she's early," he looked up directly at Faith. "So here you are."

Faith flipped over the railing and landed only feet away from the master. She watched as a bolt struck Parker in the chest from above and the vampire was dusted.

The master glared at her, "was that necessary? You're friends are just making their deaths quicker."

"You sure?" Faith asked as she kicked the master.

He growled and swiped at her; she spun away and kicked the vamp about to attack her from behind. The master grabbed her neck and drew her close to bite her. She head butted him and elbowed him in the throat and then shot her arm forward to punch the vamp. The vamp charged her and rammed directly into the stake Faith had just whipped out. She spun back and the master grabbed her by the throat. She gasped.

"Good show," he told her as he tightened his grip.

She grabbed at his wrist and then stabbed it with the stake, but he didn't let go. He lifted her from the floor; she reached into her back pocket and grasped the vial. She slammed it into his cheek. He hissed but still didn't let go. "I have survived worse than you girl." She threw her into the pen and the door was slammed behind her. She rolled over to find Hank and Larry also in the pen.

"Amy?" She mouthed.

"_Hiding," _Amy spoke in her head.

"_Go, stop the truck,"_ Faith told her.

* * *

Dawn came out of the bathroom and began to wander the house. When they first arrived Wesley introduced her to those that where waiting for Faith. Faith kissed her sister's head and then left on her mission. Joyce helped Ben find a place for them to stay. Dawn retreated to the bathroom. She heard a voice as she left.

"Devon, please wake up, I need to know if Oz is okay."

Dawn walked toward the voice and slowly opened the bedroom door to find a woman leaning over a man lying still on his back. Across the room in a chair sat another man he looked familiar, but Dawn couldn't place him. He looked up at her and smiled.

"You must be Faith's sister, I'm Pike."

"Dawn."

The woman on the bed turned, her face was streaked with tears, "Tara, this is Devon."

Dawn crawled onto the bed next to Tara. "What happened?"

"A spell, he was trying to contact a friend."

They sat together in silence for a half hour when Devon gasped and looked around wildly. He sat up, "Drusilla's dead, I'm…"

He was cut off my Tara and Pike hugging him. They released him and he finally noticed Dawn.

"Hi, I'm Dawn, Faith's sister."

* * *

Buffy had just arrived back at the house when the phone rang. Jenny answered.

"I'll get the van and meet you."

"What's going on, where's Faith?"

Buffy heard a familiar voice ask. She entered the kitchen to see Jenny hang up the phone and turn to a new man.

"She's still at the factory; I have to go meet Amy." Jenny brushed past Buffy. "Owen, Wesley, I need your help." Jenny called out.

Buffy watched as the man picked up a cup and took a sip. The basement door opened and Angel rushed to the sink for more hot water. He threw a bloody dish towel into the trash and grabbed another. Joyce's voice carried up, "Angel, don't forget the antibacterial cream."

Angel grabbed the box from the counter next to the phone and rushed back down the basement. Buffy moved around the corner to get a glass from the dish drainer. She filled it with water from the sink when he spoke.

"So you're the infamous Buffy?" She turned and her eyes widened.

"Ben?"

"No worries, Glory is long dead, it is just me." He spoke. "I should go; she doesn't like to be left alone." He left the room before Buffy could ask.

* * *

Faith glanced around the cage high up on the wall was a single window. Hank was keeping look out as Faith leaped up and broke the window. She hung on the ledge and knocked all the shards out. As she leaped down Larry pulled a grenade from his jacket pocket. Faith pulled the pin and threw to at the machine as Larry helped Hank out the window. She then helped Larry out. Faith was kneeling in the window frame when the grenade exploded. The force pushed Faith out the window and through the air a couple of feet. They heard more explosions behind them as Hank reached the car and yanked the door open.

* * *

Amy found the truck with the two vamps. The van was parked waiting on the side of the road; Amy got out and walked over to the driver's side with a crossbow. All the windows were painted black there was a small cleared area on the windshield, probably so the driver could see the road. She knocked on the window; there were sounds of movement inside, but no actual reply.

She knocked again, "police, open up!"

"Go away, bitch!"

Amy smirked and then punched the window hard. The glass broke, Amy was glad she had put on the leather driving gloves on the ride over; they protected her hands from the broken glass. The sunlight hit the vamp in the driver's seat and engulfed him in flame. Amy used her power to push the fire closer to the other vamp and he too was ignited. She watched and waited until both were dust; she walked to the back of the car in time to see another white van headed toward her. She heard a door slam and saw Jenny, Owen and Wesley walking toward her. She turned back as she heard brakes squeal and the van swerved to the side and stopped with the driver's side facing them. The doors opened and two men got out, they walked straight toward Amy not bothering to close the doors. The driver was average height, pale with dark hair, while the other was taller tan and holding a crossbow.

"Hey, Doyle, I thought you said there'd be vamps waiting for us." The second man asked.

"There were supposed to be, I don't know, Gunn, the powers are usual accurate."

"Sorry to disappoint," Amy spoke, "why are you here?"

"The vamps wanted to bring a bunch of people, we stopped them, so we decided to come down and deliver our message in person." Gunn spoke.

"And what's that?" Owen asked.

"Los Angeles is closed all the vamps are either dead or almost dust."

"You two are doing all that?" Wesley asked.

"No, there're more of us." Doyle spoke. He turned to leave.

"Wait, you're not going to stay and help us?" Wesley asked.

"Can't, we all have our own destiny, but when the slayers torch the master, send Faith and her vamp our way." Doyle replied. They turned got back in the van and left.

* * *

Hank and Larry helped Faith into the house. They helped her into a chair at the dining room table. Ben and Giles walked in.

"God, Faith, what happened?" Ben asked.

"Oh, nothing, except being blown out a window."

"What?"

"My fault really, I should have pulled the pin two seconds later. I landed on my knee."

Ben sighed, "let me look at it."

"Yes, sir, doctor Ben."

"No, sarcasism, you just blew up the master's toy and we are headed toward battle tonight. Plus…"

"There's a plus?"

"Yes, we want to know why we are here, I don't think Buffy needs your sister here."

Faith lowered her head, "no, I need her here."

"Why?"

"Because she's my rock and I need her support."

"Well, you better tell her that, because she's ready to kick your butt."

"Yeah, well, she is my sister."

* * *

Buffy was coming down the stairs when she heard Ben mention her name. Sister? Faith has a sister?

"Well, it's not that bad with your powers you'll be healed by night fall. Stay off it until then that's an order." She heard Ben say as Buffy walked over and sat next to her father on the couch. He slid his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer.

"Yes, sir," Faith spoke.

"She's upstairs, I'm going to carry you up." Ben stood, leaned over and picked Faith up out of the chair.

Faith laughed, "Ben, put me down, Ben!"

Faith saw Buffy, "Hey, B, how did it go?"

"One down, three to go!"

"Who?"

"Crazy one, Drusilla, talks to her dolls."

"You okay?"

"I will be; your sister is here?"

Faith blinked in surprise not realizing that Buffy had heard them. "Yeah…"

Before Faith could even think of a suitable reply, Buffy spoke. "Dawn?"

Faith swallowed, "yeah, the…"

"The monks sent her to you."

"Yeah, B, are you going to be alright, seeing her."

Buffy nodded her head, "yeah, but my mom might not."

"Why?"

Hank held up a hand stopping Buffy from replying. "Before Buffy, before Buffy got better she used to talk about Dawn. Joyce and I were so confused we never wanted more children after Buffy we were happy with one, at first the doctors had all of these medical explains why Buffy was imagining a sister, but if she was taping into you, then it makes me feel better."

Buffy hugged her Faith she knew how hard that must have been.

"Do you want to meet her?" Faith asked hesitantly, "both of you?"

Hank looked to Buffy who nodded her head.

Ben led the way with Faith in his arms, Hank kept his arm around his daughter as they followed. Ben used Faith's feet to push open the smaller bedroom.

"This would have been my room," Dawn spoke only seeing Faith and Ben.

"Yes," Buffy whispered.

Dawn's eyes grew wide and round. "I didn't, Faith!"

Ben put the slayer down on the bed next to her sister who sat at the foot. "Faith, needs to stay off her feet today, you make sure she does. I'm going to go check on the werewolf." He left the four alone.

They all sat in silence for a few moments.

"You can touch me if you want," Dawn spoke, "I am real."

Buffy smiled, "I know you're real."

"I also know about being the key, Faith and Ben found a way to restrict my powers, well, the key energy the part that opens doors. And I found a way to channel it."

"She's a regular mystic, not full witch, but pretty damn good." Faith spoke proudly. "She's an A student, we're pushing her toward Ivy League schools."

"We?" Buffy asked.

"I made Ben her legal guardian, you know in case."

Dawn grasped her sisters hand and then looked up at Buffy. "What was I like in your dreams?"

"Stubborn and rebellious."

Faith laughed, "that's Dawn, she fights me at every turn."

Dawn smirked for second, but then frowned. "You guys will have to face the master tonight?"

Faith nodded her head, "I blew up his factory and Nancy staked Drusilla."

"You should pick where to fight at."

"What do you mean?" Hank asked.

"The school," Buffy spoke, "we should have a showdown at the school."

"It is common ground." Dawn spoke.


	23. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

"That's my sister, always thinking." Faith spoke as the group gathered around the dining room table. Buffy had gone with Pike and came back with blue prints of the school. They both now stood at the head of the table, next to Pike sat a weary Devon. Tara stood behind both him and Oz, Amy stood next to her. Hank, Nancy and Owen stood next to Buffy. Jenny and Joyce sat with Dawn standing between them. Wesley, Faith and Jonathan faced Buffy at the other end of the table with Ben, Larry and Angel standing next to them.

"So what's the plan?" Jonathan asked.

The master stood glaring at Xander and Willow. Spike stood to the side bloody tears streaked his face.

"You failed me and didn't manage to even kill one slayer. My machine is in pieces and the humans from L.A. never arrived." He reached out and grabbed both Xander and Willow by their throats and lifted them from the ground. "Tonight both slayers will die or you will; I am sick of this." He glanced over at the weeping vampire. "William, anything to add?"

"I claim the wolf, bitch and watcher."

The blacked out window behind the stage shattered and an arrow struck the wall next to the master. He dropped Willow and Xander and pulled the slip of paper off the arrow.

_Sun down Sunnydale High _

He turned back and glared at Xander and Willow who were picking themselves up off the floor. He grinned, "School's back in session." He tossed the note at Xander as he passed, before exiting for his chambers he grabbed Spike by the lapel of his jacket and dragged the vampire with him.

Owen entered the house with a smile on his face and large bow slung over his shoulder. He placed the bow on the table, "message delivered and from the sound of it the master's pissed."

"Lovely," Nancy replied looking up from the stake she was sharpening.

"Lots of screaming I hope," Oz spoke from the kitchen entrance.

"No one was thrown out a window, but he was definitely pissed."

Faith entered the room from the living room with Angel on her heels.

"I shouldn't be in there with you." He insisted.

"No, I don't want them killing you on sight; you're the only one the master doesn't know about."

"I can be used better outside."

"No!" Buffy interrupted from where she sat next to Nancy, she placed the sword she was sharpening on the table. "We need an ace and you're all we have, now sit down, shut-up and let her work."

The room froze for a moment, Angel glared at Buffy. He realized then and there that the woman he head been waiting for since the day Whistler dragged him to LA didn't exist. She may have once, but not anymore. He glared at her a second longer, then turned and stalked out of the room toward the basement.

Faith watched them both once Angel was gone she placed the notebook and pen she had been holding on the table. There was a rough sketch of the school. In the center there was a circle labeled** "Library"** within the circle where four stick figures labeled _"Buffy, Pike, Faith, Angel, Tara."_ Above the circle was a square that read **"Main Entrance"** with names in the square _"Oz, Giles, Jenny, Nancy"_ . To the right of the circle there was a hexagon labeled **"Quad"** with the names _"Amy, Joyce, Devon, Jonathan"_. On the bottom of the page was a triangle labeled** Parking Lot **with_"Owen, Hank, Larry, Dawn, Ben, Wesley"_.

"What do you think?"

Giles and Wesley who were sitting at the opposite end of the table reading through spell books stopped and looked at the sketch.

"There's one witch in each group?" Nancy asked.

"For communication," Wesley answered meeting his charge's eyes.

"Exactly, Dawn, Tara, Jenny and Amy are upstairs right now discussing how." Faith looked to Owen, "you're the resident sharp shooter so you're going to be on the roof with a crossbow and plenty of arrows."

"And this," Wesley spoke placing a sawed off shot gun on the table, before Giles could object, "the bullets are special; they are dipped in holy water and are wooden on the inside."

Faith smirked, "I don't like guns either, but those bullets work wonders. Ben uses them all the time."

With three hours til sunset Nancy and Larry lead everyone into the school. Wesley helped Owen into position on the roof as Faith led the rest to their hiding spots in their locations.

"Remember take out the lackeys and fledges, the Master, Willow, Xander and Spike are ours." Faith spoke.

"We killed Dru," Nancy spoke, "he might have dibs on us."

Faith nodded her head understanding the blood lust for revenge. "That's why you three are together, I've read about Spike. You can take him; you just have to use Drusilla against him." She pulled photocopied papers from her duffel bag of weapons. "This is what the council has on him, you have two hours to study it and use his pain to your advantage, last resort Jenny fireballs him."

Jenny nodded her head.

"Goodie homework," Nancy replied sarcastically.

Faith pointed at the sign above the doorway, "you survive this think of it as the ultimate graduation present."

"Was that supposed to be encouraging?"

Faith smiled, "of course it was." She turned to Giles and Oz. "You good here?"

They nodded their heads.

"Good, we're moving on." Larry turned and led everyone else toward the quad.

Faith left Amy by a row of lockers with her magic supplies. Devon took the entrance to the hallways and used the base of the stairs for cover. Joyce they put in the clock tower with a rifle full of Wesley's special bullets, a crossbow and water balloons full of holy water. Jonathan was at the top of the stairs.

Larry led his group to the parking lot as Faith went to the library to join the others. With Owen up on the roof Hank, Larry, Dawn and Ben had to find other means to both hide and still be able to fight. Ben rolled a dumpster out and Dawn used a spell to make sure the vampires would not be to move them. Meanwhile Faith entered the Library to find Buffy and Pike turning over some bookshelves to use as cover. Angel was helping Tara set up supplies in the empty librarian's office. Giles told them that he had left some weapons in the cage and in the office. Faith told Angel he was to guard the back door of the library.

"Am I even going to be a part of this fight?" Angel asked angrily. "I'm a good asset and you have me hiding the stacks!"

Faith slammed the stake she was sharpening on the table. "I have you hiding, because when the master gets in here you are the first person he'll kill. They do it in the military too, they slice and dice Benedict Arnold as an example and then go for the next throat. With you hidden we have an advantage when the shit hits!"

The master looked around at the small army he had amassed from both Sunnydale and LA in the short amount of time he had. Not counting Spike, Willow and Xander there were about forty-five. He knew that if he did not stop the slayers now he would lose Sunnydale. He had already discussed with Spike and Spike alone the idea of leaving Sunnydale for Europe. The distraught vampire had only nodded his head. The master turned to watch Willow and Xander if they failed him Spike had been told to pick one and kill the other. Discipline in it simplest form, maybe that would have ended this at the beginning, but now was not a time to look back. Darrell, a bookish vampire that had come with Drusilla and Spike, entered the room with blue prints. The younger minions wanted to give him a hard time, but Spike grabbed Darrell and dragged him through the crowd and dropping him before the master.

"I-I have the blue prints." Darrell hastily spread them out on the table between them. "The sewer tunnels will only take us up to here then we'll have to surface. Which is good, part of the army can enter from the parking lot, the other half from the main entrance. The library is here, Willow said the watcher worked there and in accordance with the transcript."

"That is where she will be," the master finished with a smile.

At the main entrance Oz was transforming, Jenny was setting up a psychic link between her, Amy, Tara and Dawn. Giles was helping Nancy with the flame thrower, they had two Hank had the other one in the parking lot.

"Sun's setting," Nancy spoke. All eyes turned to the sky, before dropping back to the earth searching for the enemy.

Giles moved to light torches at the doors. He had a quiver set next to either torch full of arrows. He tested his bow once more. He heard Nancy take a deep breath and let it out loudly.

"If it helps," Jenny started, "Dawn says the waiting is the worst part. When we see them the fear hits you first, but then you remember why and what's at stake. Then the adrenaline hits and bam arrow strikes heart, battle is on."

"She said all that?" Giles asked.

"She did," Tara replied.

"That's my girl, always calming me down." Faith spoke before turning to Buffy. "We raised her well, Wesley and I, Ben put a hand in it too. She was safe with us. If anything happens to us; Dawn will teleport herself back to Cleveland, where a friend of mine will protect her."

"Who?"

"Old initiative soldier, Graham Miller, he was the only one I could save, when the 314 project went bezerk and killed everyone, then I blew it up."

"Why are you telling her this?" Angel asked from the stacks.

"To let her know how different this life is, reality is how you perceive it. In this reality she has an old boyfriend by her side and two sisters."

_((We're sisters, the chosen two.))_

Buffy smiled, "we're sisters the chosen two."

Faith smiled and the slayers hugged. Faith kissed Buffy's forehead, "forget the past, begin anew, and fight for the future."

"You're smarter than I remember," Buffy whispered.

"Roles reversed," she pulled back, "B, when this is over you're getting your GED and we are going to enroll in college together, be sorority girls and slay vamps on campus."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Dawn quickly instructed Hank on how to use the flame thrower and then sent her message to all.

"You raised her to be a warrior?" Hank asked Wesley of Dawn.

"We had to, living on the Hellmouth." Wesley replied.

"Dawn's dates have to be blessed before they go on dates." Ben added tossing up and catching a balloon filled with holy water. Larry being the former athlete came up with the water balloon idea for the beginning of the night. _ 'As soon as we see vamps we toss 'em out and wait for the hissing.' _Dawn then came up with the idea to build a sling-shot for the balloons. She and Ben began building it.

Hank stared at Ben not sure whether or not to ask if the man was joking.

"Hey, it's not that bad," Dawn spoke, "if they hadn't I could be dead or not here backing my sister up." She smiled, "and if the guy couldn't handle Ben's ritual of sprinkling with holy water, then the guy just wasn't worth it."

Ben laughed.

"I hope this fight is worth it, after all this crap." Devon spoke from the entrance to the school."

"The master and a ton of vamps," Jonathan spoke from the stairs, "I'm just glad we get to use the flaming arrows." As he spoke he lit the tiki torch and set his quiver next to it.

"Jonathan, lighter, please?" Amy asked from her spot next to a row of lockers. She looked up to Joyce in the tower as she lit her own torch.

Joyce gave her a thumbs-up and set up her gun with the high powered scope. She also had a bow and arrow and a couple of bottles of holy water.

"Is it just me or does Buffy's mom look pretty cool with the rifle?" Devon hissed to Jonathan.

"Good bye stepford, hello Mommy Dearest with a gun," Jonathan replied.

Amy giggled, "just remember she is the one with the gun."

Xander helped Willow out of the sewer and they joined the army of vampires already circling the school. Willow smirked at Xander as she shifted her face. He leaned down and kissed her when he pulled back his face had also shifted. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a yellow ball coming toward them. It hit the pavement and exploded to their right spraying four vampires. They screamed and hissed in pain.

"Holy water," Xander spoke and looked up to see red, blue and green balls sailing through the air toward them. He tried to pull Willow to the left, but she was moving to the right. The red hit a vampire square in the chest and a few droplets fell on Xander's hand he let go of Willow as she ran. The vampire exploded in a shower of water and dust. Willow was far a head of him using a fledgling as a shield. Xander was shoved aside as Spike ran to get away from the where the blue was about to hit. Xander pushed past and the two vamps began to chase after Willow. Willow was still running when a flaming arrow hit her vamp shield and he turned to dust. As the dust cleared she saw the trap waiting for them.

Larry held the bow steady as the vampire turned to dust to reveal the red head hiding behind.

"Gotcha!" He exclaimed as he let the bolt fly. She dodged the arrow, but it struck another vamp in the mass behind Xander and Spike. Hank flared the flame thrower to life warning the vampires.

Spike took one look at them and ran heading for another entrance. Willow grabbed Xander and they did the same.

Dawn tossed a balloon after them and smiled when she heard all three hiss in pain. She turned back as Ben loaded another balloon. "Remember the nest Faith found under the art museum?"

"Sure we had a priest bless the sprinkler system."

They let the balloon go and listened for more hisses as Larry and Owen fired into the mass.

"Good times," He smiled.

Dawn released another balloon into the mass that was finally beginning to divide, seeing this entrance as useless. "Hopefully we can say the same about this someday."

"We will," Ben replied as he loaded another balloon.


End file.
